PUTIM- Who are they?

 

פרשתהחדש  (וּבְנֵי, חָם--כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם, וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן." (בראשית, פרק י', פסוק ו The first Piyut in the מגן* of פרשת החדש "באחת ועשר פוט נגעה"- With one (קריעת ים סוף) & ten (מכות) פוט was afflicted. פוט was a brother to מצרים yet the Pytonim refer numerous times to the Egyptians as פוט. מפרשים claim that פוט (Libya) & מִצְרַיִם intermarried hence the Egyptians are referred to as פוטים   תוספות Bechoros 5b on חמרא לובאה the ערוך translates חמור מצרי based on the ירושלמי כלאים ח:ג. *The Piyutim said during Chazaras  Hashatz are called ( קרובות (קרובץ    they have four parts מגן,מחיה,מי כמוך, and סילוק (the last one before Kedusha

 

Yotzros-Parshas Zochor

Acheinu Bnei Eidus Hamizrach (Sefardim)  don't say Yotzros except for once 

a year and that is on Shabbos Parshas Zachor. 

The Piyutim are said before Krias Hatorah (some say it after Krias Hatorah) 

It is called Mi Kamocha and starts with the Piyut  from R.Yehuda Halevi "Adon Chasdecha"

The Seder Hadoros writes:

 When R. Yehudah Halevi wrote the Piyut "Adon Chasdecha"

he took a break at the Stanza of the letter Reish.

The Ibn Ezra passed by and continued on his own  

the Stanza on the letter Reish.

R.Y.Halevi was so impressed with the stanza

that  he left it in the Piyut and continued on. 

He also took him as a son in law because of this.

Hence two stanzas for the letter Reish.

Don't mix up the Yotzros

Even though the term Yotzros is commonly used for all the Piyutim said during Davening 

The correct term for the Piyutim   are as follows:

The Piyut said before

       נשמת     is called נשמת 

                  יוצר is called  יוצר אור

אופן   is called  והאופנים 

 מאורה    is called    יוצר המאורות

אהבה   is called   הבוחר באהבה

 זולת      is called   ואין אלוהים זולתך

גאולה      is called    גאל ישראל

The Piyutim said during Chazaras  Hashatz are called ( קרובות (קרובץ   which have four parts מגן,מחיה,מי כמוך, and סילוק the last one before  Kedusha

The seven Piyutim during Chazaras  Hashatz of Musaf are called שבעתא 

The Kalir Killer

One of the original Piyutim for שבת הגדול is the Piyut "אדיר דר מתוחים" *.  This Piyut was supposedly written by R. Yanai. R. Yanai was one of the first Paytonim. He was the Rebbe of R. Elazar b. Hakalir. Some claim, him to be the Tanna mentioned in Bavli & Yerushalmi. An old Ksav Yad (manuscript) of R. Efraim from Bonn (Ba’alei Tosfos) was found in the 18th century. R. Efraim writes, “In the land (region) of Lombardia (Italy) this Piyut is not recited. It is said the reason for it is because R. Yanai was jealous of his Talmid R. Elazar b. Hakalir, whose Piyutim were much better than his. R.Yanai placed a scorpion in the shoe of R. E.b.Hakalir and it killed him. Hashem should forgive all who repeat this story if it isn’t true” Shadal (Luzatto) says that this story is unbelievable, absurd, and not true. He has 3 proofs that it can’t be true. 1) In all homes on the 1st. Seder night we say Yanai's Piyut “ובכן ויהי בחצי הלילה". 2) The Shibolei Haleket quotes the R. Gershom Meor Hagolah who praises highly R. Yanai. 3) The 300 [500] year old Soncino Machzor has the Piyut in there. Today (200 years ago) they do say it in Lombardia. Perhaps one more proof.אמבצי 4) Tosfos (Meseches Zevachim 95b) quotes this Piyut. Had he have been a murderer, the above would not have been said or quoted.

What's The Story

On the second day Shachris Rosh Hashana we say
in the סילוק, (long Yotzer before Kedusha)

"ונחבא בארץ י"ג שנים שלמים ולא ראה שמש וירח"

Avraham Avinu was hidden underground for 13 years
and didn't see the sun & moon.

What's the story?*


READ HERE TO FIND OUT 

* Don't bother looking for the story in the
Yiddish Kol Bo Machzor. They have it wrong.

The Torah World

 וכל העולם כלו בשליש אמה, נמצאת-- אלפים וארבע אמות בעולם מאריכה (*סלוק פרשת שקלים)

The Gemoro (Eruvin 21a) and R.Eliezer Hakalir in Parshas Shekalim סלוק, compare the size of the world to the size of the Torah.

According to the Gemoro, the Torah is 3,200 times greater than the world. According to R. Eliezer Hakalir, it is 2,400 times greater.

It would seem from this that the Torah is finite the same way as the physical world is finite. However, we do know that the Torah is infinite and has no limitations. 

Perhaps Chazal are not comparing the physical sizes of the two but are comparing the blessings and all the good things

that the world has to offer compared to the Torah which offers 3.200 or 2.400 times more.אמבצי

*The last Yotzer before the Shachris Kedusha by R. E. Hakalir

Yotzros-Torah Matzav

clear understating (Kalir)

This coming Shabbos in the Yotzros 

Piyut of the Kalir starts with

  

 אָץ קוֹצֵץ בֶּן קוֹצֵץ / קְצוּצַי לְקַצֵּץ

 בְּדִבּוּר מְפוֹצֵץ / רְצוּצַי לְרוצץ

 לֵץ בְּבוֹאוֹ לְלוֹצֵץ /פֻּלַּץ וְנִתְלוֹצֵץ

  כְּעָץ מְחַצְּצִים לְחַצֵּץ / כְּנֵץ עַל יוֹנָה לְנַצֵּץ

Translation

אָץ- He rushed

קוֹצֵץ בֶּן קוֹצֵץ - The clipper* son of the clipper  (רשע בן רשע)

קְצוּצַי לְקַצֵּץ - The clipped to clip (Bnei Yisroel -  the harmed to harm)

בְּדִבּוּר מְפוֹצֵץ - with slander 

רְצוּצַי לְרוֹצֵץ - The crushed to crush (Bnei Yisroel)

לֵץ בְּבוֹאוֹ לְלוֹצֵץ - When the רשע came to do evil

פֻּלַּץ וְנִתְלוֹצֵץ - The evil turned back against him

כְּעָץ **מְחַצְּצִים לְחַצֵּץ - for wanting to shoot arrows on Bnei Yisroel

כְּנֵץ עַל יוֹנָה לְנַצֵּץ - and wanting to devour like a hawk the dove

*בדרך צחות barber

על פי שירת דבורה**