Zemiroth Israel [religious poetry]

NAJARA, ISRAEL

Giovanni di Gara

Venice

1599-1600

Three parts subtitled Olath Tamid, Olath Shabbath, Olath Chodesh. (Without Meimei Israel found in a few copies.) Includes separate title page for each part. Hebrew text with instructions in Judeo-Italian.

Vinograd, Venice 872; Habermann, di Gara 188; Mehlman 1282; not in Adams

First appearance of Ya-h Ribon Olam (f.7r), one of the most popular Sabbath Zemiroth (table hymns) and since set to innumerable melodies. Israel Najara (1555?-1625?), rabbi of Gaza, was the first poet to compose and organize his piyutim according to the Near Eastern “maqam” style of musical composition. Born in Damascus c.1555, his compositions are distinguished by their deep religiosity, references to Jewish suffering and yearning for redemption. Najara learned much from the great Jewish poets of the Spanish-Arabic period, but nevertheless frequently employed original forms and themes. Despite the wide circulation of his poetry, particularly among oriental communities, his occasional imitation of foreign styles and use of erotic terminology was attacked by Menachem di Lonzano and especially Chaim Vital who indeed forbade the singing of Najara’s songs entirely. See I. Zinberg, The Jewish Center of Culture in the Ottoman Empire (1974) pp.94-106; Carmilly-Weinberger pp.217-8; EJ, XII cols.798-9