In the Zemiroth, or Sabbath Hymns, the following necessary emendations have been made. In Yah Ribbon, the phrase שְׁפַר קָדָמַי לְהַחֲוָיָה, is borrowed from Daniel 3:32 and signifies it is my pleasure to declare. The variants קֳדָמָךְ לְהַחֲוָיָא, and שַׁפִּיר קֳדָמָךְ are without basis. עַד אָֽנָה תּוֹגְיוּן נֶֽפֶשׁ (“how long will you torment a soul”) is taken from Job 19:2. The author of בָּרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן undeniably employed תּוֹגְיוּן as a verb, exactly as in the biblical phrase, and did not coin a new noun תּוּגְיוֹן.
In the grace, the phrase הָנִֽיחַ לָֽנוּ has been corrected to הָֽנַח לָֽנוּ, a reading based on several texts, including those of Saadyah Gaon and of Maimonides.[1] The use of הָנִֽיחַ as an imperative in the singular is an obvious error.
Rabbi Jacob Emden of the 18th century called attention to a printer’s error in the case of the parenthetical clause, “Our God and God of our fathers, be pleased with our rest,” inserted in the passage וְהַשִּׁיאֵֽנוּ on festivals occurring on a Sabbath. Only the two words רְצֵה בִמְנוּחָתֵֽנוּ (“be pleased with our rest”) directly apply to the Sabbath; the address to God applies to the remainder of the passage as well and should not be inserted within parentheses.
Every effort has been exerted to make the new translation of the Siddur readily intelligible to the modern reader. Wherever necessary, an interpretive phrase has been inserted within square brackets, so that the student may apprehend the thought immediately. No pronouns have been capitalized, because the frequent use of capitals makes for confusion. The example of English Bibles has been followed in this respect. The pronouns thou and thee have been retained where they are addressed to God, since they convey a more reverent feeling than the common you. The diction has not been allowed to reach the level of everyday English in view of the exalted literary tone of the Siddur.
- ↑ Baer, Avodath Yisrael (page 557), quotes the correct reading from Saadyah Gaon, Maimonides and others, but decides against it because he misreads הַנַּח in place of הָֽנַח.
