Modern Additions to the Regular Prayers in Ashkenazic Liturgy: Rav's Prayer and "Of David: The Lord is My Light and Salvation" (Psalm 27)

Abstract

The addition of Yehi Ratzon to the blessing of the new month, which originally constituted Rav’s personal prayer as recorded by the Talmud, took place in late 18th-century Prague, during R. Yehezkel Landa’s tenure as the city’s rabbi. His choice of this specific Yehi Ratzon drew on R. Amram Ga’on’s ancient siddur and the Sephardic custom it inspired, which included a set of four Yehi Ratzon sentences to be recited at the beginning of the blessing of the new month. Furthermore, R. Landa insisted that additions to regular prayers must be from Talmudic sources alone, at a time when Kabbalistic additions to prayers were becoming more common due to the emergence of Hasidism. The Yehi Ratzon, which was then recited only silently, quickly found a place in the Ashkenazic liturgy and soon became an integral component of the blessing, probably because of its origin in R. Landa’s Prague. With the birth of Hasidism, a Kabbalistic Yehi Ratzon was likewise added to the beginning of the blessing of the new month; the practice originated with R. Haim Vital, who attributed it to R. Israel Saruk. By the mid-19th century, both Yehi Ratzon prayers – Rav’s prayer and the Kabbalistic addition – appeared in Hasidic siddurim. As of the beginning of the 20th century, however, only Rav’s prayer remained. The custom of reciting Psalm 27 was attributed to R. Isaac Luria (the Ari) through his disciple Vital. This recitation was the exclusive custom of individual Kabbalists until the mid-18th century, when it was adopted by some communities. Its recitation was explained as a Kabbalistic charm for the prevention of trouble and the promise of a long life. It was first included in a siddur – Siddur Harav, which followed Lurian traditions – at the beginning of the 19th century, with the emergence of Hasidism; it soon came to be included in Hasidic siddurim. Twenty years after its initial adoption by Hasidic siddurim, it gradually found its way into the Ashkenazic liturgy, first in Eastern Europe and then in Western Europe. This process of inclusion came to an end in the 20th century. The first halakhic mention of the custom was by R. Margaliot, who served as an authority for both Hasidic and Ashkenazic rituals, in the 1830s. The emergence and growth of Hasidism in Eastern Europe turned this region into a hub for the two-way adoption of innovations in prayer. The time that passed between the origin of one ritual and its adoption by the other camp reflected competition with Kabbalistic origins or alternatives.