The Selihote "Litvak" translated, Biblieurope editions

The Selihote "Litvak" translated

In writing about certain seli'hote, historians of great renown
have made judgments that exclude them from the scope of their work. They judged certain seli'hote to be "unfortunate and obscure," lacking words, logical connections, transitions, coordinations…

Biblieurope Editions

The Selihote "Litvak" translated

In writing about certain seli'hote, historians of great renown
have made judgments that exclude them from the scope of their work. They judged certain seli'hote to be "unfortunate and obscure," lacking words, logical connections, transitions, coordinations…
Their authors would not know Hebrew and would invent new terms, new forms. It is true that some seli'hote
are very difficult to grasp. But the judgments of historians reveal a complete misunderstanding of the essence of the selicha, which does not necessarily and always follow the classical rules of grammar, but rather constitutes the echo of the soul of the Jewish nation—oppressed, exiled, lost, persecuted, mistreated, searching for its way in the menacing darkness. When a man has faced terrible danger, he does not immediately regain his composure. The words he utters will be fragmented, disjointed, emerging unexpectedly, without connection. Everything is jumbled in his head, just as in the soul of Israel, which expresses itself in the heart of unspeakable torment, and whose language is expressed like a volcano spewing its fire, spewing its despair, howling its prayer. How impoverished are these judgments of historians who fail to consider the rhythm of the nation's inner life and who refer only to the conventional rules of a grammar that neglects lived experience. To express the suffering of the Jewish people, classical language is no longer sufficient. A new rhythm must be invented, sometimes breathless, new forms, for Israel has been deformed by the persecutions it has endured. The selicha is like an embodiment of the Jewish soul turning toward its Creator.
Often, the seli'ha is a story of suffering that recounts the faithfulness of a
A people devoted to their God against all odds!

Biblieurope Editions