Where are the shepherds and where are the flocks?
About This Entry
Written as part of a yotser sequence adorning the blessings of the Shema‘ on the festival of Shavuot, this piyyut recounts how the sins of the Jews, after the divine revelation at Mount Sinai, which Shavuot commemorates, led to the current exile, in which the Jews are ruled by Edom and Hagar (Christians and Muslims). A yotser is meant to be recited inside the blessing before the Shema‘ that begins “He who creates (yotser) light,” and this one concludes with a plea for deliverance. The first letter of each line makes up a double alphabetic acrostic (each one doubled). The ellipsis indicates a lacuna in the manuscript.
Notes
[Moses, also alluded to as “the humble man” in this prayer.—Trans.]
[See b. Shabbat 88a.—Trans.]
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.
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