Baqashot
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The Baqashot (or "bakashot", שירת הבקשות) are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Aleppian Jewish community and other congregations for centuries each week on Shabbat (Sabbath) morning "from midnight till dawn". Usually they are recited during the weeks of winter, when the nights are much longer. The duration of the services is usually about four hours.
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[edit] History
The custom of singing Baqashot originated in Spain towards the time of the expulsion, but took on increased momentum in the Kabbalistic circle in Safed in the 16th century. Baqashot probably evolved out of the tradition of saying petitionary prayers before dawn and was spread from Safed by the followers of Isaac Luria (16th century). With the spread of Safed Kabbalistic doctrine, the singing of Baqashot reached countries all round the Mediterranean and became customary in the communities of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Rhodes, Greece, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Turkey and Syria. It also influenced the Kabbalistically oriented confraternities in 18th-century Italy, and even became customary for a time in Sephardic communities in western Europe, such as Amsterdam and London, though in these communities it has since been dropped. By the turn of the 20th century Baqashot had become a widespread religious practice in several communities in Jerusalem as a communal form of prayer.
In communities such as those of Aleppo, Turkey and Morocco, the singing of Baqashot expanded to vast proportions. In those countries special books were compiled (such as "Shir Yedidot" in Morocco), showing the tunes and maqamat together with the text of the hymns, in order to facilitate the singing of Baqashot by the congregation. In these communities it was customary to rise from bed in the night on Shabbat in the winter months, when the nights are longer, and assemble in synagogue to sing Baqashot for four hours until the time for the morning service.
In Aleppo, Syria this custom seems to go back about 500 years. Most of the community would arise at 3:00AM to sing Baqashot and to listen to the voices of the Hazanim, Paytanim, and Meshorerim. When they arrived at Mizmor Shir LeYom HaShabbat they would break to listen to a sermon by one of the Rabbis who discussed the Perashah of the week. When he concluded they would begin Mizmor Shir LeYom HaShabbat and sing all the rest of the Baqashot.
The Syrian tradition was introduced to Jerusalem by Raphael Altaras, who came to that city from Aleppo in 1845 and founded a Baqashot circle at the Kehal Tsiyon synagogue. In this way the custom of Baqashot became part of the mainstream Jerusalem Sephardic tradition. Another important influence was Jacob Ades (1857-1925), who immigrated to Jerusalem in 1895 and introduced the tradition to the Persian and Bukharan communities. The main centre of the tradition today is the Ades synagogue in Naִhlaot, where the leading spirit was Shaul Aboud, a pupil of Moshe Ashear.
The Aleppian Baqashot did not only reach Jerusalem. The Jews of Aleppo took this beautiful custom with them wherever they went: to Turkey, Cairo, Mexico, Argentina and Brooklyn New York. Each of these communities preserved this custom in the original Halabi style without all the changes and embellishments that have been added to the Baqashot by Jerusalem Hazanim over the years.
[edit] Themes
There is a total of 66 songs in the Syrian Baqashot book, and the collection is now regarded as closed, unlike the general body of pizmonim, where new pizmonim are still composed for special occasions. Each song is shown with its maqam, but they follow a fixed order of recitation which does not depend on the maqamat of the different songs. There are many sections within the Baqashot. The sections are separated by different Biblical verses to be chanted in a different maqam.
The songs principally consist of the praise of God, songs for Shabbat, songs of longing for the Holy Land and so on, and include some piyyutim taken from the main body of the prayer book. These songs are considered more ancient and sacred than other pizmonim (Hebrew songs). Many of the songs contain acrostics identifying the author of that specific composition.
Baqashot are full of mystical allusions and traditions. Some of the songs contain references to some of the most sacred Jewish traditions. The following are examples of thematic songs:
- Song 1 and 34: listing of the 10 "Sefirot" (attributes) in the Kabbalah.
- Song 2: refers to the return to Zion in the time of redemption.
- Song 6 and 7: a song with each stanza ending with "boqer" (morning).
- Song 9: a song with each stanza ending with "yom" (day).
- Song 14: "Yasad besodo", discusses many different Kabbalistic concepts and how God created the world with his divine instruction.
- Song 15: "Eress Varom", discusses the seven days of creation, using one stanza for each day.
- Song 23: "Ki Eshmerah Shabbat", a well known song among all Jewish communities that was written by Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra.
- Song 28: "Yom Zeh le-Yisrael", a famous song written by Isaac Luria.
- Song 33: contains allusions to each of the four "Amidah" services recited on the Sabbath.
The baqashot are interrupted after Song 34 to sing Psalm 92, the Psalm of the Sabbath, one verse at a time, using a different maqam for each. There are many other verses of the Psalms scattered throughout the different songs, called "petiִhot", to serve as markers.
- Song 35: "Shalom Vassedek" is a song written by Rabbi Shelomo Laniado. Each stanza ends with "Shelomo".
- Song 38: "Esah Libi" contains allusions to each of the nineteen blessings in the daily "Amidah" prayer.
- Song 39 and 40: two songs that are entirely in the Aramaic language .
- Song 41: "Ani Asaper" discusses the laws of Sabbath (the 39 categories of "work").
- Song 43: "Mehalalah" alludes to the seven heavens mentioned in the Kabbalah.
- Song 46: contains references to all the composers of the Baqashot.
- Song 51: Halakhot of Shabbat
- Song 53: a song dedicated to R. Shim'on bar Yoִhai, reputed author of the Zohar.
- Song 61 and 62: "Yedid Nefesh" and "Agadelcha", two songs that Ashkenazim also sing.
The Baqashot service concludes with Adon Olam (Song 66) followed by the ancient Kaddish prayer sung in the melody of the maqam for that specific Sabbath.
[edit] Composers
Included in most baqashot collections is a poem by Eleazar Azikri (1533-1600), a kabbalist who lived in Safed. The poem “Yedid Nefesh”, or "faithful friend", was one of several which were published in 1601 in Venice in his “Sefer Haredim”. The collection also includes other famous poems of similar date, such as "Yom Zeh Leyisrael" by Isaac Luria and "Yah Ribbon Alam" by Israel Najara. Other composers, from the twelfth to the nineteenth century, include Hakhamim Abraham Maimon, Yosef Sutton, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Yaacob Abadi, Mordechai Labaton, Eliyahu Hamaoui, Ezra Attiah, Abraham Ibn Ezra, David Pardo, David Dayan, Shelomo Laniado, Yitzhak Benatar, Eliyahu Sasson, David Kassin, Shimeon Labi, Mordekhai Abadi, and Shelomo Menaged. More recent composers from the Aleppo community are Refael Antebi Tabbush and Moshe Ashear. Song 46, "Yah Melech Ram", hints out the names of the Baqashot composers.
According to Sephardic tradition, the Baqashot are unique in that the composers wrote the text of the songs and then composed the melody for them, and not the other way around (as is the case with many other pizmonim). Also the melodies of the Baqashot are not borrowed from foreign sources (as is the case with many other pizmonim).
[edit] Current practices
The tradition of waking up before dawn (3 AM) and singing the Baqashot still survives today in the Ades Synagogue in Jerusalem, Israel. In communities throughout the world not so committed to the idea of waking up before dawn, the Baqashot melodies, or sometimes the actual songs, are still sung either throughout the prayers or casually on certain occasions.
In some settings, the honor of singing the Kaddish goes to the highest bidder.
In Turkey the equivalent tradition is known as "Shirat Hamaftirim", and the songs are performed by choirs of "maftirim". The music and style of singing are based on Sufi and Ottoman classical music. This tradition originated in Adrianople (present-day Edirne) in European Turkey. The tradition persists and is practised to this day in Istanbul.
[edit] Recordings
David Betesh, coordinator of The Sephardic Pizmonim Project, released the Baqashot on the website below to the general Internet public. The recordings were made in order to facilitate preservation. They were recorded by Cantors Isaac Cabasso, Mickey Kairey, and Hyman Kairey. The project was organized by the Sephardic Archives, in association with the Sephardic Community Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Morris Shamah, Joseph Mosseri, and Morris Arking are responsible for putting the recordings together.
[edit] References and links
[edit] Bibliography
- Altaras, Raphael Isaac, Yitzִhaq Yerannen: Jerusalem 1854
- Abadi, Mordechai, Miqra'e Qodesh: Aleppo 1873
- Burla, Jacob ִHai, Yismaִh Yisrael: Jerusalem 1874
- Burla, Jacob ִHai, Yagel Ya'aqob, Jerusalem 1885
- Idelsohn, A.Z., Hebräisch-orientalischer Melodienschatz, vol. IV: Gesänge der orientalischer Sefardim: Jerusalem, Berlin and Vienna 1923
- Shrem, Gabriel, Shir Ushbaִhah Hallel Vezimrah, Sephardic Heritage Foundation, New York: 1983.
- Aboud, Hayim Shaul, Sefer Shire Zimrah Hashalem im Sefer le-Baqashot le-Shabbat: Jerusalem 1953, repr. 1988
[edit] External links
- The Sephardic Pizmonim Project, includes recordings of all the Baqashot.
- Piyyutim (in Hebrew)
