Rabbis > A prayer for the princess
ABOAB, ISAAC DE MATTATHIAS (1631-1707).
Compendio de diferentes materias dignas de se lerem para teras noticias do que ellas contem.
Manuscript in Portuguese on paper.
Amsterdam, 1682.
MS X893 Ab71
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
The short poem appended to the front of this compendium of miscellaneous writings provides a fascinating insight into a long-standing Jewish tradition. Jewish communities frequently composed poems and prayers for the welfare of the sovereign and his or her family.
The poem reads:
מלך מלכי המלכים ברחמיו
יברך את מעלת הגבירה הכבודה
בת מלך אשת אדנינו הקצין
יועלה זכרונה לפניו להצליחה
בהריונה שתלד בעתה זרע של
קיימה לטובת המדינות האלו
ולהעמדת בית הדרת נשיאנו
"May the King of Kings, in His Mercy, bless the virtuous and honored princess, wife of our master the officer (a title of authority), may He remember her before Him and grant her a successful pregnancy, and timely delivery of an heir for the good of these lands and for the establishment of the glory of the house of our prince."
Gift of Congregation Temple Emanu-El, 1892.