Festival Prayer Book According to Yemenite rite. Includes services for High Holydays, Sukoth, Hoshana Raba, Simchath Torah. Also with Selichoth, Tikun Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah, Purim.

(LITURGY)

Yemen

18th century

Hebrew Manuscript on paper in various Yemenite square and semi-cursive hands, including R. Yahya Tzalach. With marginal notes and comments. Some words underlined in red. With a calendar 1884-1921 on ff. 127-29.

R. Yachya Tzalach [Salih] (1715-1805), Rabbi of San’a, known by the acronym Mahari”tz, is considered the supreme halachic authority of Yemen. He did not receive a salary for his Rabbinic duties and earned his livelihood as a scribe. The Yemenite scholar Y. Ratzaby states in a note appended to this Machzor that the marginalia herein correspond to the commentary “Etz Chaim” by R. Yahya Tzalach. Ratzaby surmises that the marginalia are an earlier version of his commentary and believes that they are in the hand of the author, as it was his custom to add marginal notes to the works he transcribed. See Y. Ratzaby, Shevuth Teiman (1945) pp. 100-17.