A MULTIFACETED NUPTIAL BLESSING: THE USE OF RUTH 4:11–12 WITHIN MEDIEVAL HEBREW EPITHALAMIA

Abstract

When bestowing poetic blessings upon newly married couples, the medieval Hebrew poets often advance analogies to biblical figures, indicating their wish that the couple should merit the good fortune of, for instance, the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or of later biblical figures such as Moses, Zipporah, Phinehas, or Hannah. The most common analogy offered, however, is that of the matriarchs Rachel and Leah, as per Boaz’s nuptial blessing from Ruth 4:11: “May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, both of whom build up the House of Israel!” In this study, the usage of this recurring motif throughout medieval Hebrew epithalamia will be considered, so as to demonstrate its role as a focal point of poetic creativity. The medieval Hebrew poets composed hundreds of epithalamia, celebrating nuptial occasions within the Israelite nation, while offering blessings on behalf of the newly married couples.1 Many of these blessings center upon comparisons with biblical figures. For instance, one anonymous Palestinian poet writes: לֹכּבַּ ךְרֵבָּתְנִ שׁיאִכְּ םכֵרְבָוּ םרֵזְעָ (ozrem uvarkhem ke’ish nitbarekh bakkol, “assist them and bless them as he who was blessed in all things”),2 praying that the bride and groom should merit the blessings of Abraham. Similarly, the Palestinian * Lecturer in the Department of Literature of the Jewish People at Bar-Ilan University. Email: avi.shmidman@ biu.ac.il. I would like to thank my colleague Dr Tzvi Novick for his insightful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude to the following institutions for the use of their manuscript catalogs and collections: The Ezra Fleischer Institute for the Research of Hebrew Poetry in the Genizah; the Academy of the Hebrew Language; the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts of the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem; and the Friedberg Genizah Project. Translations of scripture within this paper follow the JPS translation of 1917. Transliterations follow the general guidelines for Hebrew and Semitic languages specified in the Encyclopaedia Judaica, 2nd ed., v. 1, 197. Where relevant, citations of poems are accompanied by their corresponding index number, as per Israel Davidson, Thesaurus of Mediaeval Hebrew Poetry, 4 vols (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1924–38) (Hebrew). Finally, a note regarding my use of the term “epithalamia”: etymologically, an epithalamium is a song intended specifically for the bridal chamber (based on the Greek “θλαμος”); however, following modern English usage (see The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., s.v. “epithalamium”), the term will be used herein to refer to nuptial poems in general. 1 For a chronological survey of Hebrew epithalamia through the ages, see Meir Bar-Ilan, Ateret H. atanim (Ramat Gan: self-published, 2007). For additional studies of medieval Hebrew epithalamia, see Shulamit Elizur, “Al Piyyute H. atanim ve-Haftarat H. atanim”, Masekhet 1 (2002), 63–74, and Ephraim Hazan, “Shirei ha-H. atuna le-Rabi Yehuda Halevi”, Dukhan 11 (1977), 27–33. 2 From the grace-after-meals poem הלָּכַוְ ןתָחָ תָּרְשַּׁאִ (isharta h. atan vekhallah), intended for recital at the conclusion of a wedding meal; see Avi Shmidman, The Poetic Versions of the Grace after Meals from the Cairo Genizah: A Critical Edition, Ph.D. Thesis (Ramat-Gan: Bar-Ilan University, 2009) (Hebrew), 658. “He who was blessed in all things” is a reference to Abraham, based upon Gen. 24:1: לֹכּבַּ םהָרָבְאַ תאֶ ךְרַבֵּ יָיְוַ (vadonai berakh et Avraham bakkol, “and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things”). A MULTIFACETED NUPTIAL BLESSING (AVI SHMIDMAN) 97 poet Pinh. as adduces a comparison to Isaac and Rebecca: ןתָבָּיחִ אהֵתְּ הקָבְרִכְוּ קחָצְיִכְוּ (ukheyiz. h.ak ukherivka tehe h. ibbatan, “and may their love be as that of Isaac and Rebecca”).3 And in a third poem, Jacob appears at the point of comparison: רשַׂ םעִ קבַאֱנֶכְּ ןתָחָ חמַשְׂיִ ( yismah. h.atan kene’evak im sar, “may the groom rejoice as he who wrestled with a ministering angel”.)4 Beyond the forefathers, we find comparisons to many other additional figures, including the sons of Jacob, Moses, Zipporah, Phinehas, Hannah, Elkanah, Samuel, Mordecai, Esther, and more. However, by far the most common comparison is to the matriarchs Rachel and Leah. The use of this comparison within a nuptial setting finds its roots in the Bible itself, in the blessing offered to Boaz by the elders of the town (Ruth 4:11–12): All the people at the gate and the elders answered, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your house like Rachel and Leah, both of whom build up the House of Israel! Prosper in Ephrathah and perpetuate your name in Bethlehem! And may your house be like the house of Perez whom Tamar bore to Judah – through the offspring which the Lord will give you by this young woman.” תאֶ יָיְ ןתֵּיִ םידִעֵ םינִקֵזְּהַוְ רעַשַּׁבַּ רשֶׁאֲ םעָהָ לכָּ וּרמְאֹיּוַ םהֶיתֵּשְׁ וּנבָּ רשֶׁאֲ האָלֵכְוּ לחֵרָכְּ ךָתֶיבֵּ לאֶ האָבָּהַ השָּׁאִהָ תיבֵבְּ םשֵׁ ארָקְוּ התָרָפְאֶבְּ ליִחַ השֵׂעֲוַ לאֵרָשְׂיִ תיבֵּ תאֶ הדָוּהילִ רמָתָ הדָלְיָ רשֶׁאֲ ץרֶפֶּ תיבֵכְּ ךָתְיבֵ יהִיוִ :םחֶלָ 5תאֹזּהַ הרָעֲנַּהַ ןמִ ךָלְ יָיְ ןתֵּיִ רשֶׁאֲ ערַזֶּהַ ןמִ This verse effectively established a biblical paradigm for the blessing of a bride and groom, and its impact upon medieval Hebrew epithalamia was considerable. The comparison to Rachel and Leah recurs again and again throughout medieval Hebrew epithalamia from all centers of Hebrew poetic activity, including Palestine, Babylonia, Italy, Spain, and Ashkenaz. Notably, as we shall see, the impact of the verse transcends the liturgical/paraliturgical boundary; appropriations of the verse occur within epithalamia composed for a diverse array of poetic settings. With regard to synagogue poetry, we find the verse incorporated in poetry intended for the Sabbath following a wedding (Shabbat h. atan), both within strictly liturgical compositions such as qedushtaot (poems recited as part of the amidah prayer), as well as within reshut poems recited prior to calling the groom to the Torah. Outside the synagogue, the verse finds expression in many grace-after-meals poems, intended for recital at the conclusion of nuptial meals, as well as within various free-standing zemirot (songs) and pizmonim (refrain poems), devoid of any specific liturgical context. To be sure, recurring motifs are often prone to formalization. When a motif is so common that it is simply included as a matter of course, its effect within the poetry may be severely minimized. Nevertheless, a survey of medieval Hebrew epithalamia demonstrates that the 3 From the grace-after-meals poem ןתַּחַתְתִּ ...א (a... tith. attan) for wedding meals; see Shulamit Elizur, The Liturgical Poems of Rabbi Pinh. as Ha-Kohen [Hebrew] ( Jerusalem: World Union of Jewish Studies, The David Moses and Amalia Rosen Foundation, 2004), 749. 4 From the grace-after-meals poem הרָוּדהֲבַּ רשֵּׁיַאֲ ליִחַ תשֶׁאֵ (eshet h. ayil ayasher bahadurah) for wedding meals; see Shmidman, Grace after Meals, 692. “He who wrestled with a ministering angel” refers to Jacob, based upon Gen. 32:25: וֹמּעִ שׁיאִ קבֵאָיֵּוַ (vayye’avek ish immo, “as he wrestled with him”), and the midrashic tradition which explains that it was Esau’s ministering angel who wrestled with him (Genesis Rabba 77:3). 5 Transliteration: vayyomeru kol ha’am asher basha’ar vehazzekenim edim yitten adonai et ha’ishah habba’ah el beitekha kerah. el ukhele’ah asher banu sheteihem et beit yisra’el va’aseh h. ayil be’efratah ukera shem bevet lah. em: vihi veitkha keveit perez. asher yaledah tamar lihudah min hazzera asher yitten adonai lekha min hanna‘arah hazzot. 98 MELILAH MANCHESTER JOURNAL OF JEWISH STUDIES poets responded successfully to this challenge, creatively integrating the Rachel-and-Leah comparison in new and innovative ways, breathing new life into this old motif.