Tiklal - Manuscript - Yemen, 1727 - Important Edition

The following description is by the expert in Yemen manuscripts and head of the institute for the study of the Yemen scholars, Dr. Moshe Gavra.

Physical description and condition of the manuscript
Size of manuscript: 14.5x21 cm. Size of text: 13.5x19 cm. 159 leaves written on both sides of the leaves (318 pp.).
The manuscript is not bound or stapled and the strings with which it had been sown are disintegrating.
Complete leaves are missing of the manuscript, from the beginning of the prayer book to the end of Mincha for Shabbat, leaves 1-49, and from the end of the Avot tractate to the end of the Yom Kippur prayer. In addition, the following leaves are missing: 151, 152, 189 and 190.
Some of the leaves are cut, especially on the inside edge of the leaf, as a result of wear and unravelling of the thread that had bound the book.
There are several numberings to the leaves: the original numbering can be seen on the upper edge of the leaf. It was done by the scribe himself in letters. In some of the leaves, the number is blurred or has been torn off due to wear. Some of the leaves were numbered in pencil at the lower part of the leaf, most likely in recent years. I have arranged and numbered the leaves, according to the acceptable composition of Yemen prayer books of this era, this in order to make it easier to read.

The punctuation of the prayer book is according to the ancient tradition that was customary in Yemen until the 18th century - upper punctuation, that is, the punctuation appears above the letters.
The manuscript was written by an expert scribe. The leaves are divided in a precise manner: on two third of the leaf appears the text of the prayer book, on the remaining third appears the commentary and Halachot, according to the original prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana. The titles written above the commentary are: Chidushin, Ta'am Nechmad, Gemara, Ta'am and more. The commentary and Halachot are taken from the prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana. To them, the scribe added copying of several tractates of the Talmud with commentary and Halachot from various books.

The date of writing
בל"ח to the Seleucid era - 1727, according to what is written in the calendars on leaf 86-קלו. Indeed, on leaf 85-קלה, it is written year במ"א to the Seleucid era, which is 1730. Yet, the year 1727 should be preferred according to the rules I have set in the introduction to my book "Mechkarim Be'Siddurei Teiman" (Studies of the Yemen Prayer Books).


The content of the prayer book
In addition to the prayers for the weekdays, Sabbath and Holy Days, the prayer book also includes additional subjects in one volume, such as rules for preparing a calendar and more, as was customary in ancient Yemen prayer books, which are called "Tiklal". This manuscript also contains additions such as Tikun Leil Shavu'ot, Mishnayot and more

The copier of the prayer book
There is no complete colophon at the end of the prayer book and the scribe did not explicitly write his name. On the last page of the manuscript, leaf 159-ריד page b, there is a curly signature as was customary in Temen. His name cannot be clearly deciphered. According to my deciphering, it seems that his name is Zvi (?) ben Yichye (or Yehuda) Salach. The Salach family was well-known in the center of Yemen and maybe the scribe is from Sana'a.

Place of writing
Since we do not have the colophon of the manuscript, we cannot know where it was written. According to the nice script of the scribe, the customs, content and the Salach family name, it is most likely that the prayer book was copied in the center of Yemen. Maybe in Sana'a.

Content of manuscript
This prayer book was written according to one of the editions of the prayer book by Rabbi Yitzchak Vana, who was one of the most prominent rabbis of Yemen at the end of the 16th century and beginning of the 17th century. He was the Chief Rabbi of a town southern to Sana'a. see his entry in the encyclopedia for the scholars of Yemen, volume A, pp. 112-115.
He authored various books, the most well-known among them being the prayer book, which was published in various editions since 1597 until the middle of the 17th century. What is special about hi sprayer book is the many additions he had added according to various printed books that reached Yemen during those years. He was one of the first Yemen rabbis who added many additions and changes that differed from the Sephardic prayer books. His prayer book was the most common one in Yemen until the middle of the 18th century.
This prayer book matches the editions of the prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana and it has many characteristics of the Yemenite prayer book of this period; however, it also contains many additions.

This prayer book has characteristics which I have not found in other Yemenite prayer books and in addition to the prayers that have survived, the prayer book also contains Birkat Ha'Mazon, Eruvei Techumin, Eruv Chatzerot and more, the Sabbath candle, Shetarot, Gittin - all these as was customary in Yemen, however there are also additions that do not appear in parallel manuscripts, as follows.

The importance of the manuscript
The manuscript has great importance. On the one hand, it represents the period after the Exile of Mawza which occurred in 1680 and which greatly affected the Jews of Yemen as well as many changes and additions from the printed Sephardic prayer books that had reached Yemen. On the other hand, the manuscript represents the period before the vast amount of printed books reached Yemen, before the middle of the 18th century.
As is well known, in the 18th century many changes occurred in the Yemenite prayer books. Handwritten copying of prayer books was greatly reduced due to the arrival of many printed prayer books to Yemen, which caused a great controversy during the first half of the 18th century regarding the version of the prayers, the customs and more.
This prayer book is important also because it is one of the last prayer books which were written according to the prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana, since in the following dozens of years, the prayer book of the Maharitz, Rabbi Yichye Salach, the founder of the version which is today called "Baladi", was the one that was copied. The prayer book of the Maharitz replaced almost completely that of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana. Before us is one of the last prayer books that had been copied according to the prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana; thus the importance of the manuscript.
This prayer book is important also because it demonstrates the early characteristics of the Yemenite prayer books, which started to change after it. The scribe punctuated the prayer book with upper punctuation. During the 18th century, the punctuation was transformed into what was acceptable on all other Jewish communities - lower punctuation that appears under the letters.
This manuscript is also unique in that the scribe included Tikun Leil Shavu'ot and Tikun Leil Hosha'ana Rabba in the prayer book (from leaf 106-קנח page b).
Moreover, throughout the prayer book, the scribe included complete tractates of the Mishnah with its commentary and Halachot.
In addition, on the margins of the leaves, in the scribe's handwriting and not a later addition, commentary and Halachot on the segments of the prayers was written as well as commentary on other subjects such as Hilchot Ishut, commentary on the Mishnah and more.
The prayer book also preserves Sephardic traditions that had been printed in books of the 16th -17th centuries and which differ from the Sephardic traditions of today. For example, according to the prayer books there are special Selichot for each of the days of the week (leaf 33-פג).

In order not to leave many empty spaces throughout the book, the scribe filled them in with Halachot from the Rambam and Arba'a Turim, like on leaves 66-קיו, 108-קס, 110-קסב and many more.

Actually, the manuscript contains three handwritten books:
A prayer book called in Yemen "Tiklal", according to the prayer book of Rabbi Yitzchak Vana, including many additions such as "Tikunei Shabbat" with Song of Songs and the Mishnayot of the Shabbat tractate (leaves 137-קצא to 144-קצח).
Tikun Leil Shavu'ot and Hosha'ana Rabba, with Mishnayot (from leaf 127-קעט to 136-קפח).
Mishnayot of the Pesachim, Rosh Ha'Shana, Yoma and Sukkah tractates, with additions of Halachot and commentary from various sources (leaves 144-קצח to 158-ריב).