Community Magazine July 2009

52 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE prayerbook. A son of former Israeli Chief Rabbi Hacham Yizhak Nissim, Dr. Benayahu taught in Tel Aviv University and since 1985 has served as director of the Research Department of Yad HaRav Nissim, a Jerusalem-based learning institute founded in his father’s memory. The undertaking to reprint the Mahzor Aram Soba was initially beleaguered by a number of logistical and financial setbacks. Finally, through a generous grant by the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, and with the advancements in digital scanning, this remarkable project has reached its completion, reclaiming a treasure of Syrian Jewry that had been lost for centuries. Though a number of pages are still missing, as no remnants of them have been found to date, the siddur is otherwise complete and precise. The prayerbook comprises 1,690 pages spread over two volumes, and comes with an accompanying, 272-page volume of scholarly essays about the history and content of the Mahzor Aram Soba . This mission was carried out by Yad HaRav Nissim, under the direction of Dr. Benayahu’s son, Hanan Benayahu, the institute’s Publishing Director. Yad HaRav Nissim was founded in 1983, and its publication department has produced over seventy important works of Torah and Jewish scholarship, including six memorial volumes for Rav Nissim. It also publishes an annual scholarly journal entitled Asufot . Hanan Benayahu described the special excitement that surrounded this particular project, and its significance particularly for Syrian Jews: “The people of Aram Soba, who are renowned for their love for and adherence to their ancestral are now privileged to have something extraordinary – a prayerbook that includes the prayer services for the entire year and the entire lifecycle filled with special piyutim . Baruch Hashem , we have been privileged to restore this incomparable cultural treasure to the community of Aram Soba.” The publication received the emphatic support and endorsement of Rav Yaakov Hillel, Rosh Yeshiva of Hevarat Ahavat Shalom in Jerusalem. In his letter of approbation, the rabbi congratulates Yad HaRav Nissim for this achievement, and speaks of the significance of this revival of the ancient text: “The Aleppo Prayerbook is of supreme importance, and its utility is great as a rare historical document that attests to the foundations of the special and unique customs and liturgy of the Aleppo community… This is the traditional liturgy of the original inhabitants of the Middle East… Consequently, the publication of this prayerbook is of great importance, for research and the gaining of knowledge of the early practices and traditional liturgy of the Syrian community. In addition, it contains a unique collection of piyyutim, liturgical poetry, and prayer passages of which there is no trace in any other community or prayerbook.” Rav Hillel proceeds to underscore the importance of acquiring this treasure of Syrian Jewry: “Accordingly, the researchers of prayers and customs, and those who appreciate them, especially those of the Aleppo community, will rejoice at this wondrous discovery. They will bring a blessing to their homes by adorning their libraries with this special prize, that has been published in a limited number, as befits its rare value. All members of the Syrian community should be honored to acquire this priceless document which has not been available for hundreds of years, as a complement to their precious heritage.” Besides providing the Jewish world with an invaluable wealth of new poems, prayers and hymns, the reemergence of the Mahzor Aram Soba serves to reinforce the spiritual bonds that connect today’s Syrian Jewish community with their ancient roots in Halab. While some might view it as merely a historical relic and an object of scholarly inquiry and intrigue, for the Syrian community this publication is a priceless heirloom, a vestige of the glorious culture and tradition that has been transplanted and continues to flourish on American soil. For more information about the Mahzor Aram Soba or to order a copy, please contact Yad HaRav Nissim at 011-972-2-563-3789, or by email at echadb@gmail.com.