Hemdat Yamim is a book dealing with Jewish customs and laws (particularly of Jewish holidays), including many
musar exhortations. It is based on
kabbalah
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
in general, and the kabbalah of the
Ari in particular.
The book was first published by
Israel Yaakov Algazi in
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
in about 1731. The question of the authorship and nature of the book - whether early or late, whether or not the author was a
Sabbatean
The Sabbateans (or Sabbatians) are a variety of Jewish followers, disciples, and believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676),
an Ottoman Jewish rabbi and Kabbalist who was proclaimed to be the Jewish Messiah in 1666 by Nathan of Gaza.
Vast ...
- were once in dispute, and as a result also the attitude towards customs recorded in the book.
Sabbateanism and the book
Sabbatai Zevi died 54 years before the publication of ''Hemdat Yamim''. The book included songs with the acrostic "
Natan HaAzati", as well as statements known to be attributed to Sabbateans.
Today, it is agreed by academic scholars that the book consists of a collection, most of which is derived from kabbalistic writings from the
Ari's school or other customs and laws which are not sourced on Sabbateanism, from a variety of periods and sources, while omitting the original names. Earlier, some had thought (following R'
Yaakov Emden) that the author of ''Hemdat Yamim'', including its customs, was
Nathan of Gaza
Nathan Benjamin ben Elisha Hayyim haLevi Ashkenazi (), more famously known as Nathan of Gaza (; 1643–1680), or Ghazzati, was a theologian and author born in Jerusalem. After his marriage in 1663 he moved to Gaza, where he became famous as a pro ...
or another, later, Sabbatean author.
[On the book Hemdat Yamim](_blank)
(by Yoel Rafel) - discussing the origins of Tu Bishvat
Tu BiShvat () is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' (), literally " New Year to the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awa ...
, lays out the old disagreement, starting from Yaakov Emden's assertion that the author was Nathan of Gaza, and the disagreement of the professors Moshe Fogel (Hebrew University) who follows the view of Avraham Yaari that the sources are not Sabbatean, versus Boaz Huss (Ben Gurion University) who follows the view of Gershon Scholem
Gershom Scholem (; 5 December 1897 – 21 February 1982) was an Israeli philosopher and historian. Widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kabbalah, Scholem was appointed the first professor of Jewish mysticism at Hebrew Un ...
and his student Isaiah Tishby
Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite Biblical prophet, prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah ...
, who wrote four articles arguing that the book consisted of Sabbatean sources.
In
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...
there was a vociferous disagreement regarding whether the book was Sabbatean. It became famous with R' Yaakov Emden's protesting of the alleged Sabbateanism of R'
Jonathan Eybeschutz
Jonathan Eybeschutz or Eybeshitz (; 1690–1764) was a Talmudist, halakhist, and kabbalist holding positions first as Dayan of Prague and later as rabbi of the "Three Communities": Altona, Hamburg, and Wandsbek.
He is well known for his confl ...
, and even more so with the publication of
maskil
The ''Haskalah'' (; literally, "wisdom", "erudition" or "education"), often termed the Jewish Enlightenment, was an intellectual movement among the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, with a certain influence on those in Western Europe and th ...
David Kohn
David Kohn (1838–1915) was a Russian archaeologist and Hebrew writer. He was born at Odessa and received a rabbinic education, but at the age of fourteen he took up the study of medieval literature and modern languages, and soon afterward, histo ...
's book ''Even HaToim''.
Most rabbis distanced themselves from the book, but some Hasidic rabbis adopted its customs, and even studied it, while distancing themselves from parts that were definitively identified with Sabbateanism.
Authorship
The book was first printed in
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
in 1731–1732, and brought to the printing press by R'
Israel Yaakov Algazi, who wrote that he found the manuscript in
Safed
Safed (), also known as Tzfat (), is a city in the Northern District (Israel), Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of up to , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and in Israel.
Safed has been identified with (), a fortif ...
, without naming the author. In his introduction to the book, he praises it and the greatness of its author, and describes how he acquired the manuscript.
R' Yaakov Emden argued that the author was
Nathan of Gaza
Nathan Benjamin ben Elisha Hayyim haLevi Ashkenazi (), more famously known as Nathan of Gaza (; 1643–1680), or Ghazzati, was a theologian and author born in Jerusalem. After his marriage in 1663 he moved to Gaza, where he became famous as a pro ...
.
In 1954, the book "Taalumat Sefer" by
Avraham Yaari was published, which theorized that the author was the judge
Binyamin Halevi, a student of the Ari, who lived prior to Shabtai Zevi and Sabbateanism.
[''The mystery of a book - the book Hemdat Yamim, who wrote it, and what was the amount of its influence'', Avraham Yaari, Mossad Harav Kook, 1954] In 2008, R' Shlomo Kosovski Shachor published the book "Otzar Hemdat Yamim", which further established this opinion. In the long introduction to one edition of the book, R'
Moshe Tzuriel wrote a response to the views which argue against the book. Yaari, for his part, argued that the poem in Hemdat Yamim with the acrostic "Nathan of Gaza" was not part of the original body of the book.
Gershon Scholem
Gershom Scholem (; 5 December 1897 – 21 February 1982) was an Israeli philosopher and historian. Widely regarded as the founder of modern academic study of the Kabbalah, Scholem was appointed the first professor of Jewish mysticism at Hebrew Un ...
disagreed with this conclusion, arguing that Nathan of Gaza was indeed the author.
Historian Meir Benayahu argued that book's author was apparently R' Israel Yaakov Algazi himself. Algazi was the rabbi of the
Hida, and the father of R'
Yom Tov Algazi
Yom Tov Algazi (; known as the Maharit Algazi; 1727, Izmir – 1782, Jerusalem), the son of Israel Yaakov Algazi, was an Ottoman rabbi who studied under Rabbi Shalom Sharabi and authored major halakhic works. He succeeded Sharabi as head of Beit E ...
, regarding whom the question of his Sabbateanism is debated to this day.
[And the mystery remains](_blank)
Scholem's article opposing Yaari's opinion
Today, academic scholars believe that the book consists of a long compilation of excerpts, with changes of language, of books from various periods, mostly predating Sabbateanism; and that the compiler was R' Yisrael Yaakov Algazi himself. The proof to this is linguistic: phrasing which were changed from the original sources, which are unique to Algazi, recur many times throughout the book; and in the first printed edition of the book, in one of Algazi's notes is found the apparent admission that he himself composed the book.
There are still some scholars who believe that some of the customs in the book, as well as the writing of the book, are to be attributed to Algazi or his helpers, or at least that their source is Sabbatean.
Content and influence
The book is significant in that many of its customs are now widely followed. Its content is widely spread with kabbalistic-style musar and inspirational exhortations. It is one of the sources for customs of
Tu Bishvat
Tu BiShvat () is a Jewish holiday occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It is also called ''Rosh HaShanah La'Ilanot'' (), literally " New Year to the Trees". In contemporary Israel, the day is celebrated as an ecological awa ...
celebration, and the source for the ''tikkun'' of the seventh night of
Passover
Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt.
According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...
which is practiced in Sephardic communities. In new editions of ''Hemdat Yamim'', at the beginning of the book is printed a list of dozens of now-accepted customs whose only known source is this book.
The book has been extensively used primarily by Sephardic rabbis, and various kabbalistic customs in it were accepted by all Jewish communities. Opinion among Hasidim about the book varied. R'
Chaim of Volozhin wrote that even if the book was authored by Nathan of Gaza, the book itself contained no objectionable content, and seemingly was written before Nathan developed his Sabbatean views. Rav Avraham Danzig, in Chayei Adam cites Hemdat Yamim as his source for Tefillah Zakka. R'
Shlomo Elyashiv described the book as "one of the most holy". A 2003 printing of the book opened with a
haskama
An imprimatur (sometimes abbreviated as ''impr.'', from Latin, "let it be printed") is a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement. The imprimatur rule in the Catho ...
from R'
Ovadiah Yosef
Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) also known as Maran (Hebrew: מרן) "Our Master", was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983. Also known as Gadol Yisra ...
, saying that "excitement about the holiness of Shabbat and holidays does not enter my heart, except by reading this book of Torah". On the other hand, R'
Mordechai Eliyahu refused to keep the book in his house ever since reading R'
Yehuda Fatiyah's criticisms of the book's author, and wrote that the
Ben Ish Hai wrote his book "Lashon Hachamim" primarily to provide an alternative to Hemdat Yamim.
Kol Tzopayich, Behar-Bechukotai 2004
/ref> Others, though, have claimed the Ben Ish Hai approved of Hemdat Yamim, bringing as evidence several instances where content from Hemdat Yamim appears in Ben Ish Hai.
References
{{Authority control
History of Judaism
Jewish literature