Prayer for Protection against the Plague. “To be recited at morning and afternoon services. Preceded by Psalm 20… and followed by Psalm 41 and Nefilath Apayim (Tachanun).’

(MEDICINE).

Italy

1742

Manuscript in Hebrew. Written in a square Italian hand.

Replete with Biblical references, the prayer invokes the Thirteen Divine Attributes, and begs God to order the angels responsible for managing earthly affairs to send a swift deliverance to those suffering sickness, ‘those of natural means as well as unusual circumstances’. The Black Death raged throughout Europe intermittently for centuries, with regional epidemics constantly resurfacing and subsiding. As late as 1742, Messina suffered from Italy’s last major outbreak of the plague. Despite various advancements in medicine, the plague still proved fatal, killing nearly two thirds of the city’s inhabitants. The outbreak caused panic throughout Italy, and lasted until 1744. With a long tradition of poetic creativity, individual Jewish communities in Italy often created their own prayers and piyyutim to mark various occasions. For a charming summary of Jewish reactions to plague, see NLI archivist Chen Malul’s, ‘Prayers, Amulets and Spells to Ward off Plague’ https://blog.nli.org.il/en/djm_plague/.