When the humble man

This ofan (a liturgical poem to be recited between the two verses of the Kedushah in the first blessing before the Shema‘) describes Moses’ ascension to heaven and his meeting with the angels. Amittai bases this text on midrashic traditions that appear in Pesikta rabbati and other collections. Amittai portrays Moses as terrified of the celestial beings. During his journey, Moses overhears the angels reciting “Holy, holy, holy” from Isaiah 6:3, a verse that Jews recite during the responsive Kedushah prayer. Some of the themes in this poem come from Hekhalot literature, testifying to the influence of Hekhalot texts in ninth-century Italy. Amittai may have composed this poem for Shavuot, but some medieval Ashkenazic communities recited it on Simhat Torah