Manuscript, machzor for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur according to the ancient custom of Fez, Morocco, with Kabbalistic prayers and intents, piyyutim, translations, instructions and customs. [Morocco, ca. 18th century; after 1693].
Machzor according to the ancient custom of the original Moroccan Jewish community. After the Spanish Expulsion in 1492, thousands of Spanish Jews resettled in Morocco, and their customs gradually took precedence over those of the original Moroccan community. Most synagogues used the Spanish liturgy, and it became the standard for all new siddurim printed in Morocco. The original Moroccan customs were mainly followed in Fez, which had a synagogue that adhered to the original liturgy. This liturgy was first printed in the Siddur Ahavat Hakadmonim, (Jerusalem, 1889), "ancient custom - original custom of the residents of Fez", but only included several of the piyyutim for the High Holy Days. This manuscript, while missing pages, was written as a complete copy of the High Holy Days liturgy. Such manuscripts, which utilize the original Moroccan liturgy, are extremely rare.
This machzor includes Kabbalistic intents beside the prayers, as well as entire Kabbalistic paragraphs, some of which are unknown and may be original to this machzor. Its content is a combination of the teachings of the Arizal and earlier Kabbalists, such as Sefer Hakaneh and the writings of Rambam Elbaz, an early Moroccan Kabbalist. Page 30a-31b: "it is advisable to be extremely careful with the secrets of the intentions of the shofar, and I will write what I have found…". Page 163a: "The secrets of the Avoda - these are the words of Rambam Elbaz in his Sefer Heichal Hakodesh". Several places contain entire paragraphs from "Sefer Hakavanot" (see pages 45b, 86b). The author is clearly aware of the conflict between the teachings of the Arizal and other
Kabbalists. Page 85b states, "This is a great secret – it is the intentions of the early Kabbalists and not that
of the Arizal…". However, he also shows great respect for the words of the Arizal: "These are the words of the Arizal, and listen closely, for I am not permitted to state at length what he only stated briefly, for I fear G-d…" (page 31a).
Kabbalistic prayers are included for the removal of the Torah Scroll from the Ark (pages 28a, 146b), and for the recital of "Ayeh Mekom Kevodo" during the Kedusha prayer (pages 158a, 200a), with unidentified additions. Page 184b contains the prayer of Yishmael the High Priest (in a different handwriting), in a slightly different version than the one first printed in Sefer Shem Tov Katan, Sulzbach, 1706. This prayer includes the name "Avraham ben Zohara" several times, evidently the name of the transcriber or the owner. [It is interesting to note that for the prayer during which one is supposed to recite the letters of his name with the letters "Kera Satan", the copier inserted the name "Yosef", possibly copied from his original source.]
Glosses referring to ancient customs: "Psalm 33 was removed since the custom is not to recite it (page 106a)"; "Now the custom is not to recite this but to immediately begin…" (page 208b). Page 66b contains a signed gloss (in a different handwriting), which refers to what was written on one of the missing pages.
[2], 24-31, 45-46, 51-56, 58-115, 117-147, 152-184, 187-210 leaves. Altogether 164 leaves. Manuscript is missing in several places. 16 cm. Fair condition. Condition of pages varies; stains and wear; worming. Repaired pages with damage to text. One torn page. New fabric binding, placed in a matching case.
The manuscript is dated as after 1693, since page 93a quotes the "Vidui of R. Yitzchak Aboab, of blessed memory"; (R. Aboab passed away in 1693). This vidui (confession) was written by R. Yitzchak Aboab da Fonseca in Recife, Brazil, during the Portuguese siege of the city (1646-1654) - "A confession and
prayer that I authored when we were besieged by the Portuguese, and G-d saved us from their hands". See: "Kitvei Rabbenu Yitzchak Aboab, Chachmei Recife Ve'Amsterdam", Machon Yerushalayim, I, 2007, p. 114.