mercredi 8 septembre 2010

Does Birkat ha-minim still exist in current siddurim?

The blessing of the Minim is the 12th blessing in the Amida prayer. There are many variants according to the version of the siddur you use. I have taken three different versions from the online siddur, and only the yemenite and sefaradi versions includes the word "minim". Ashkenazi version only has the word "malshinim", that can be translated as "delators".
Yemenite version (full text of Shaharit here: http://www.onlinesiddur.com/shac/edut/text.php )
לַמִּינִים וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה וְכָל הַזֵּדִים כְּרֶגַע יאבֵדוּ. וְכָל אויְבֶךָ (סמאל) וְכָל שׂונְאֶיךָ (לילית) מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵתוּ. וּמַלְכוּת הָרִשְׁעָה מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְכַלֵּם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יָהָוָהָ , שׁובֵר אויְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים

Ashkenazi version (full text of Shaharit here: http://www.onlinesiddur.com/shac/ashk/text.php )
וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה. וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶגַע תּאבֵד. וְכָל אויְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵתוּ. וְהַזֵדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', שׁובֵר אויְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים:

Sefaradi version (http://www.daat.ac.il/DAAT/sidurim/sfarad/hol/shaharit.asp#5)

וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה. וְכָל הַמִּינִים כְּרֶגַע יאבֵדוּ. וְכָל אויְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵתוּ. וְהַזֵדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וּתְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. שׁובֵר אויְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים:
There are many other versions of this blessing, that was never unified and adapted to the context. The word "Minim" was not kept by Jews from christian lands because Christians thought it means specifically "Christian". The modern critics has shown that this word doesn't apply apply to Christians, but among others, to Judeo-Christians. The version found in the Cairo Guenizah showed the words Nozrim (Nazareens) and Meshumadim (traitor) added to the word Minim, which clearly means, that Judeo-Christians were condamned by this blessing at this time. There might be also other old versions in Saadia Gaon's Siddur and Mahzor Vitry.

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