Kaphtziel

Jewish mysticism (kabbalah) and philosophy blog.

Published Sunday, May 06, 2012 by Unknown | E-mail this post

The Utterance of the Name of 42:

The Ana be-Koach Genre as Liturgical Improvisation on a Theme.

Ben Newman

Shabbat Liturgy Independent Study

Spring ‘06

The answer to Life, the Universe and Everything is "42.”

—Douglas Adams

For the Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, both speaking and listening are active processes. He writes: “Any understanding of live speech, a live utterance, is inherently responsive… Any understanding is imbued with response and necessarily elicits it in one form or another: the listener becomes the speaker.”^[1] Also, in a manner of speaking, speaker (anyone who initiates a conversation) is also a responder. “He is not, after all, the first speaker, the one who disturbs the eternal silence of the universe.”^[2] According to Bakhtin, “Any utterance is a link in a very complexly organized chain of other utterances.”^[3] The utterance is a unit of speech communication.^[4] An utterance can be as short as a grunt, or as long as a novel. An utterance is, as stated earlier, always contextual.^[5] One utterance is separated from another by a “change of speaking subjects...”^[6]

Utterances are unrepeatable, like snowflakes or “a finger print[s].”^[7] “Each utterance is filled with echoes and reverberations of other utterances to which it is related by the communality of the sphere of speech communication.”^[8] In addition, an utterance does not necessarily need to be spoken language. Bakhtin asserts that works of art and texts can also qualify as utterances.^[9] Bakhtin calls “utterances and their types” speech genres.^[10] According to Bakhtin, “The general linguistic problem of the utterance and its types have hardly been considered at all…”^[11] It seems to me that we may think of the Jewish prayer Ana be-Koach, and in particular the 42 letter name from which it is derived, as a type of utterance in the Bakhtinian sense. Depending on the context of the prayer (i.e.- the person reciting it, or the time when it is recited) its content changes, though the basic structure of the 42 letters that begin each word are the same. Perhaps the reason this peculiar sort of improvisation on a theme developed was because it was commonly taboo to actually pronounce the name itself.^[12] In this essay, I will give a history of the 42 letter name, and will analyze and compare some of the various texts (or utterances in Bakhtin’s words) which were derived from this name, including the piyyut Ana be-Koach.

The first time the 42 letter name appears in Jewish literature is in the following quote from the Talmud:

Rab Judah said in Rab's name: The forty-two lettered Name is entrusted only to him who is pious, meek, middle-aged, free from bad temper, sober, and not insistent on his rights. And he who knows it, is heedful thereof, and observes it in purity, is beloved above and popular below, feared by man, and inherits two worlds, this world and the future world.^[13]

In this quote, neither the letters of the name (which starts avgitatz), nor the prayer Ana be-Koach is mentioned. This lends evidence to the fact that neither the name itself (avgitatz) nor any of the piyyutim derived there from were actually known at that time. However, it is interesting to note here that there is a reference to the world to come. Prayers derived from the 42 letter name are often said when one is dying. This will be discussed below. Perhaps this quote from the Talmud was the origin of this practice.

Ana be-Koach is said to have been written by the tanna Nehunia b. HaKanah.^[14] However, in writing of the gaonim, and in particularly in the writing of Hai Gaon, the 42 letter name is mentioned, but he is unsure of the exact formulation. Also, he does not mention any prayer associated with the name. R’ Hai writes: “Although the consonants of this name are well known, its proper vocalization is not rendered by tradition. Some pronounce its first part Abgitatz, and others Abigtatz, and the last part is sometimes read Shakvatzit, and sometimes Shekutzit, but there is no definite proof.”^[15] Here we see that Hai Gaon was himself unsure of the exact formulation of the name. According to Trachtenberg:

His doubt concerning its proper reading is, to my mind, an indication of its antiquity; in a language such as Hebrew, written without vowel signs, the consonants are the constant element, while the vowels would tend to shift and change in the course of centuries of transmission, especially when, as in this case, the secrecy that surrounded the process and its oral nature tended to perpetuate individual variations. If it had been a comparatively recent creation such confusion would not yet have the reason, for the prime consideration in handing on such terms was to safeguard their form and pronunciation, and thus to conserve their potency.^[16]

Hai Gaon’s confusion over the pronunciation of the name may indeed point to its antiquity as Trachtenberg claims. However, it seems that he did not associate any piyyut with the name, or he probably would have mentioned it here.

Another early Medieval rabbi who expressed confusion about the name of 42 was Rashi. In his commentary on the Talmud passage from Kiddushin 71a, Rashi writes “the 12 letter name and the 42 letter name were not explained to us.”^[17] It seems to me that since Hai Gaon was familiar with the name but was confused, and Rashi was completely uninformed about the name, then if there was anyone during that time who knew the name entirely, they kept it a well guarded secret. This is entirely possible given that the name was seen as having such extraordinary power.

Ana be-Koach is the most famous of the piyyutim derived from the 42 letter name. It is recited primarily on Shabbat and during the Omer, in addition to during some lifecycle events, such as death. Some traditions mention focusing on saying a particular group of 6 letters/word each day of the week.^[18] It seems that one of the main reasons it is recited on Shabbat, in this way during the week, and during the days of the Omer after Pesach is numerical. On Shabbat, it is recited because it is 6 times 7, during the Omer it is recited because the days after Pesach number 42. It is sometimes referred to as the prayer of R. Nehunia b. Hakanah. However, it is extremely likely that this is a false attribution. According to Shlomo Tal,

In some siddurim and books this prayer is referred to as ‘The prayer of Nehunah b. Hakanah,’ a tanna of the second generation of the Tannaim. However, this prayer is not mentioned in the writings of the rabbis, not in the Mishnah, not in the two Talmuds, and not in the Midrash Halakha or Aggadah. If the editor of the prayer “Ana be-Koach” was the tanna R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah, it is a wondrous thing, how the prayer became known to the community only in the late Middle Ages. For it does not appear in the Siddur of R’ Amram Gaon, or in the Siddur of R’ Sa’adia Gaon, or in Machzor Vitri, or in the Machzor of Varmisa….or in the Abudraham, or in the Siddur of R’ Hertz Shatz…Also, in many other ancient siddurim and machzorim it is absent…Also though the Sefer HaKanah refers to the 42 letter name it does not refer to “Ana be-Koach.”…It seems that when they attribute this prayer to R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah, they are referring to the order of the letters avgitatz…these are what are attributed to R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah…^[19]

Rambam also mentions the 42 letter name without noting any piyyut associated with it. His interpretation, as always, is inherently rational. Rambam writes:^[20]

There was also a name of forty-two letters known among them. Every intelligent person knows that one word of forty-two letters is impossible. But it was a phrase of several words which had together forty-two let ters. There is no doubt that the words had such a meaning as to convey a correct notion of the essence of God, in the way we have stated. This phrase of so many letters is called a name because, like other proper nouns, they represent one single object, and several words have been employed in order to explain more clearly the idea which the name represents; for an idea can more easily be comprehended if expressed in many words ... The Shem ha-meforash applied neither to the name of forty-two letters nor to that of twelve, but only to the Tetragrammaton, the proper name of God, as we have explained ... How grievously has this passage (b. Kiddushin, 71a) been misunderstood... ^[21]

From this quote we see that Rambam does not indicate that there is any piyyut associated with the name. He is also troubled by the mere existence of the name, as he does not understand how there could be one word composed of 42 letters. It seems that Rambam has little interest in interpreting names of God, and especially magical ones. He does not seek its derivation, nor does he record the name itself. He ends by asserting that the name of 42 has nothing to do with the Shem Ha-Meforash.

Another Medieval rabbi to mention the 42 letter name is Rashba. A.Z. Idelson, in his work Jewish Liturgy and Its Development, claims that Ana be-Koach was attributed to Nehunia b. Hakanah by Rashba in one of his teshuvot.^[22] However, upon a close examination of the teshuvah in question, one can easily see that this is not the case. In that teshuvah, Rashba writes about the name of 42, but does not mention the prayer Ana be-Koach even once. In the teshuvah, when Rashba mentions Nehunia b. Hakanah in reference to the name, he writes: “The bakasha that we received whose letters were made by R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah is like the one that was received by the scholars of our land…”^[23] Shlomo Tal comes to the following conclusion in regard to this quote and the teshuvah in general: ““Here it says that ‘R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah made the letters [of the 42 letter name]’ which is to say that the letters of the name of 42 whose order is avgitatz—this is what the Tanna made, and not the words of the poem [Ana be-Koach].” Therefore there is no evidence that I see in this teshuvah that Rashba attributed Ana be-Koach to Nehunia b. Hakanah.

The general genre of piyyutim or texts containing the 42 letter name as an acrostic—is first seen, albeit in a magical and philosophical manner, in Sefer HaKanah (attributed to Nehunia b. Hakanah).^[24] As Shlomo Tal mentions above,^[25] there is no mention of the piyyut Ana be-Koach in this text. However, in Sefer Peliah, the author claims that the letters of the name of 42 actually correspond to the names of angels: “Now listen to these things for these letters of the name of 42, out of each letter comes an active angel from the power of the name…”^[26] Though the list of these names cited in Sefer HaKanah is not a piyyut, it could be thought of as a sort of text. What follows is this list of names:

ועתה שמע ענינם כי אלו אותיות של שם מ"ב כל אות יוצא ממנו מלאך הפועל מכח השם ואלו הן:

אדירירון בהירירון גבירירון יגבהיה תלמיה צפניה קרמיה רגריה עדיריה שגניה טלטיה נהריה נשמריה געריה דוהריה יעליה כסיה שגיוניה בועליה ורריה רמיה צ' וזהנהיה גלגליה חנניה קהה ב' טבטניה נ' עממיה והנהיה והו הויה ידלריה גורריה למימריה פקורקדיה זוהר זרעיה ווליה תהורריה רויה והאל אליה צעיריה יההריה תמוזליה. והיה יהו"ד חונניא תיה והאל אליה ויוזוה יה. בשכמל"ו:^[27]

In this, the first reference to the name of 42 from Sefer HaKanah, the name becomes a series of rashi teivot for the names of angels. The order of the names is also not exactly the same as in the conventional name of 42. It is the same in the beginning bit ends up being quite different, with many yods, vavs and hehs thrown in. Also, it seems to go way beyond 42 words.

The first text which does refer to saying a particular piyyut instead of the name itself is Sefer Peliah which is usually included with the volume called Sefer HaKanah, supposedly written by Nehunia b. Hakanah, but more likely composed by 13th century kabbalists.^[28] This is probably the reason that people attribute Ana be-Koach to Nehunia b. Hakanah.^[29] Sefer Peliah also begins by citing a similar list of angels that correspond to the letters of the name:

אדירירוץ בהירירוץ גבירירון יגבהיה תלמיה צתניא:

קדמיה רגריה עריריה שגעיה טלטיה נהריה:

נשמריה געריה דהריה יעליה כסיה שניוניה:

בועליה טודריה רמיה צצציה תהבהיה גלגליה:

חנניה קתקיה בהבהביה טוהויה נתניה עממיה:

יהלשריה גודריה לממריה פקורקריה זהרזהר )זהריה( קמליה:

שתהודריה קדושיה והאלאליה צעדיה יתהדריה תמתליה:

ויהוה יה. ב ש כ מ ל ו.:^[30]

After this list of names Sefer Peliah puts forth a commonly cited derivation of the name of 42 from the first 42 letters of the book of Genesis. This derivation is cited by many, including Moshe Cordovero, but does not seem very convincing to me, as ciphers such as atbash are applied randomly to each letter without any consistency. Trachtenberg writes: “ the medieval mystics… possessed a tradition according to which this name is derived from the first forty-two letters in the Bible. This statement occurs several times and was accepted even by the famous Talmudist of the twelfth century, Rabbenu Jacob Tam. There is no reason to doubt the truth of this report.”^[31] However, I would counter that the convoluted nature of this derivation of the name itself gives us a definitive reason to doubt “the truth of this report.”

Following this (very likely spurious) derivation of the name, Sefer Peliah recounts a piyyut which it recommends saying instead of the name itself. The piyyut, though very slightly similar to Ana be-Koach, is a decidedly different work:^[32]

אלהים בישראל גדול יחודך תשגבינו צדקתיך קדוש ראה עלילות שונאינו טהר נחלתיך נשגב גאל דורשיך יגדל כח שמותיך בשמך טכס רוחינו צמח תבא גאולתינו חסיד קדוש ברוב טובך נוי ענותנותיך יהמו גודל לבבינו פדנו זכר קדושתיך שעה קול וידויינו צדק יודע תהלתך:

In the appendix to the essay, I have set out in a chart several different versions of works modeled after the 42 letter name, including the one above in order that my reader may more easily compare the content of these works. This version of the prayer is similar to Ana be-Koach even in some of the words it uses. It also has a similar general theme-- stating the power of God and then beseeching God for help. As stated before, the fact that this piyyut is found in Sefer Peliah gives a possible explanation for attributing Ana be-Koach to R’ Nehunia b. Hakanah.

It is quite likely, as stated above, that this piyyut in Sefer Peliah is the first instance of a prayer being written based on the name of 42. My research is by no means exhaustive, however, I have not come across a piyyut written based on the name of 42 in any text which predate Sefer Peliah. Now that we have found a probable source for this practice, let us turn briefly to a discussion of the significance of this divine name. In another section of Sefer Peliah it equates every six letter unit with one of the planets. It puts forth the idea that each six letter unit is able to draw extraordinary power to the individual from the planet to which it corresponds:

המ"ב אותיות היוצאים מהם אב"ג ית"ץ ושאר הו' שמות תמצאו כל כחות של ז' כוכבי לכת איך מתפשטים עליהם הכוחות מכח שם יהו"ה וי"ס ומכח שם בן מ"ב והם ראשי פרקים. וכאשר תחפוש במקרא תמצא לכ"א וא' פסוקים מן התורה והם הם ראשי פרקים של הכוחות ויהיו תמיד לעיניך ובהם יודע כל עתיד בשם יהו"ה אדנ"י יתברך ויתעלה:

אב"ג ית"ץ רקיע שבתי שבתי וארצו. ושמטתו ויובל יום אחד. עין ימין. וחיים. ימים. שבת. חודש:

קר"ע שט"ן רקיע צדק. צדק וארצו, ושמטתו ויובל יום שני. עין שמאל, ושלום. ימים. שבת. חודש:

נג"ד יכ"ש רקיע מאדים. מאדים וארצו. ושמטתו ויובל יום ג'. אוזן ימין. וחכמה. ימים. שבת. חדש:

בט"ר צת"ג רקיע חמה. חמה וארצו. ושמטתו ויובל יום ד'. אוזן שמאל. וחן. ימים. שבת. חדש:

חק"ב טנ"ע רקיע נוגה. נוגה וארצו. ושמטתו ויובל יום ה'. נחיר ימין. ועושר. ימים. שבת. חדש:

יג"ל פז"ק רקיע כוכב. כוכב וארצו. ושמטתו ויובל יום ו'. נחיר שמאל. וזרע. ימים. שבת. חדש:

שק"ו צי"ת רקיע לבנה. לבנה וארצו. ושמטתו. ויובל יום שביעי. פה. וממשלה. ימים. שבת. חדש:^[33]

It would seem from this passage from Sefer Peliah that the reason recital of the name was considered a dangerous enterprise was because it drew down such extraordinary power. We see here also the division of the name of 42 into 7 six letter words. This theme is continues throughout later literature discussing the meaning of the name. As stated before, this 6 times 7 numerical division is probably the reason that Ana be-Koach came to be recited on Shabbat as well as on the Omer.

Another 13th century source which explicates the meaning of the name of 42 is the Tikkunei Zohar. Its explanation of the name is also very enlightening. It gives us a possible etymology for the name being recited on one’s death bed and every day (as Eliezer Azikri prescribes in his work Sefer Hareidim).^[34]:

These seven words: AVGYTTz, KR’STN, NGDYChSh, BTRTzTG, ChKBTN’, YGLPZK, ShKVTzYT—regarding them it is said: “each one has six wings. With two one’s face is covered, with two one’s feet are covered, and with two one flies.” The magical secret of his name is to cover the neshamah when it goes up above each and every night to bear witness to the good deeds of the person from angels of destruction, from all evil and destructive spirits, the lilliths and the demons. Through them [the seven words] it [the neshamah] blossoms above. With two letters in each name its [the neshamah’s] face is covered from them, with two letters its feet are covered, and with two letters it blossoms above. The same is true for the ru’ach and the nefesh [the two lower levels of the soul]. There is a name of 42 with the form of a wax seal, there is a name of 42 that is a portrait of the King on the seal, and there is a name of 42 which is the exact portrait. The name of 42 which is the portrait is this: YHVH, YVD H’ V’V H’…The name of 42 which is the seal is Ehyeh (asher) Ehyeh, and the picture of the 42 written in wax—this is AVGYTTz…^[35]

There are several salient points that arise out of this passage. First, this passage provides an explanation of what exactly the name does—that is, to help all three levels of the soul to ascend on high without coming to harm. This is probably the reason that Reishit Chochmah brings forth this quote after an explanation of how to use the piyyut Ana be-Koach on one’s deathbed.^[36] He prescribes the use of the piyyut when doing one’s final Vidui. This is probably also the general source of the use of piyyutim derived from the name of 42 in death rituals in other texts. There is at least one other piyyut based on the name of 42 which is supposed to be recited on one’s deathbed. This occurs in the text Ma’avar Yabbok, and will be discussed later. Another interesting point in this passage from Tikkunei Zohar is that there is not one, but three names of 42. Each one corresponds to an “image” that is closer to the actual image of God. It is enlightening to notice that one of the names, Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, is biblical and has the gematria (minus “asher”) of 72. Perhaps the Talmud in its reference to a name of 42 was actually referring to a version of this biblical name.

In the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, discussion of the name and of the piyyutim corresponding to it increases. Perhaps this is due to the rise in popularity of kabbalah after the incredibly prolific era of the kabbalists of 16th c. Tzfat. One rabbi who extensively discusses the name in the late 16th and early 17th centuries is Isaiah Horowitz (1565?–1630) in his Shnei Luchot HaBerit. In addition to Ana be-Koach, Horowitz records another piyyut which was derived from the name of 42:

אל ברוך גדול יראה תום צדקותיו אב"ג ית"ץ קדוש רחום עליון שור טהר נפשו קר"ע שט"ן נא גדול דגול יגדל כח שמירתו נג"ד יכ"ש ברחמי טהור רחמהו צדקהו תמיד גומלהו בט"ר צת"ג חי קדוש ברוך טהר נפשו עליון חק"ב טנ"ע יה גלה לבן פדותיך זך קדוש יג"ל פז"ק שוכן קדם ומאז צדק יושר תומיך שק"ו צי"ת^[37]

This piyyut which begins by describing God’s qualities is very interesting, and if my illustrious reader wants to see how it compares to other versions, please refer to the chart in the appendix. One fascinating point regarding this particular piyyut is that it is similar to the well-known El Barukh Gadol De’ah prayer.

Another rabbi who cites the name of 42 in his work is Aaron Berechiah ben Moses of Modena (d. 1639), a known mystic, and author of the work dealing with end of life issues, Ma’avar Yabbok. In his discussion of end of life rituals, R’ Aaron mentions the recital of the name of 42 in the form of a piyyut at the time of death. In addition to citing Ana be-Koach as a piyyut that one could possibly recite, he recounts another piyyut based on the name of 42 whose meaning seems to better parallel the occasion of death than Ana be-Koach:

אהיה בעדן גן יחודך תקבל צדקתו:

קשוב רצה עתירה שמור טהרת נשמתו:

נאור גיבור דגליך יאירו כבוד שבתו:

ברוב טובך רועה צדקה תרומם גדולתו:

חסין קרב ברצון טוב נופש עלייתו:

יוודע גאולתך לחזות פאר זיו קדושתו:

שוכן קרוב ומטיב צווה ישועת תהילתו^[38]:

There are a multitude of interesting elements of this piyyut. First, it seems to be directly tailored to the life situation in which it is to be said. Here, the context has changed the form of the utterance to fit the occasion. It feels to me like a hybrid between the name of 42 and El Malei Rachamim. Second, it is written in twos in Ma’avar Yabbok, as displayed above. This is particularly interesting to note in light of the comments of Eliyahu de Vidas and the Tikkunei Zohar. De Vidas uses the quote from the Tikkunim to illustrate why the name of 42 is efficacious when death occurs. In the quote from the Tikkunei Zohar, as seen above, each six letter word in the 42 letter name is divided into three--two words to cover the face of the soul, two for the legs of the soul, and two to make it blossom above. This is done in order to protect the soul from evil spirits which may attach during its ascent. It is probably not unintentional that R’ Aaron here divides this special piyyut used at death into three columns of two words each. He likely read both the piece from De Vidas and the Tikkunei Zohar. Third, though he does not give a reference for where he found it, Schechter writes the following in regard to this piyyut: “The possibility of forming these words, strengthened the Cabbalistic opinion that the prayer is based on Rab’s statement in Kiddushin.”^[39] I am not entirely clear why these particular words are so important except for the beginning reference to the Garden of Eden. This relates to the initial Talmud quote because there it claims that one who uses the name of 42 properly will inherit both this world and the world to come.^[40] Finally, though the piyyit differs from Ana be-Koach in many ways, there are still some characteristic words, such as “chasin” which remain in this version.

Over time, the name of 42 transformed from a Talmudic legend, into an actual name purported to have mystical powers, and then into a multitude of piyyutim. This development took place slowly over many generations, and in many different contexts. In many ways, the history of the development of this genre is a perfect illustration of what Bakhtin called the development of the utterance. Each time the name of 42 was used or referred to was unique, and each time the name was uttered, it became slightly altered from its original (virtually meaningless) beginning. All the people who came into contact with this name changed it slightly, as it changed them. The name of 42 itself had no inherent semantic value apart from its number of words, so it became a sort of canvas upon which each of the Jewish thinkers mentioned in this essay painted their own poetic or philosophical work, their own utterance of the name of 42.

Appendix- Comparison of different versions of texts derived from the name of 42:

Appendix	Ben Newman					Shabbat Liturgy-

ץ	ת	י	ג	ב	א	גירסה
צרורה	תתיר	ימינך	גדולת	בכח	אנא	אנא בכח-1
צדקותיו	תום	יראה	גדול	ברוך	אל	אל ברוך- מהשל"ה-2
צדקתיך	תשגבינו	יחודך	גדול	בישראל	אלהים	אלוהים בישראל-מספר פליאה-3
צתניא:	תלמיה	יגבהיה	גבירירון	בהירירוץ	אדירירוץ	שם מ"ב בשמות מלאכים- מספר פליאה - ד"ה ועתה צרף שם אלהים וגם היא-4
צפניה	תלמיה	יגבהיה	גבירירון	בהירירון	אדירירון	ספר הקנה -ד"ה סוד של מ"ב אותיות-5
צדקתו:	תקבל	יחודך	גן	בעדן	אהיה	Ma’avar Yabbok, Yetziat Neshamah, -6

ן	ט	ש	ע	ר	ק
נוֹרָא:	טַהֲרֵנוּ	שַׂגְּבֵנוּ	עַמְּךָ	רִנַּת	קַבֵּל	1
נפשו	טהר	שור	עליון	רחום	קדוש	2
נחלתיך	טהר	שונאינו	עלילות	ראה	קדוש	3
נהריה:	טלטיה	שגעיה	עריריה	רגריה	קדמיה	4
נהריה	טלטיה	שגניה	עדיריה	רגריה	קרמיה	5
נשמתו:	טהרת	שמור	עתירה	רצה	קשוב	6
ש	כ	י	ד	ג	נ
שָׁמְרֵם:	כְּבָבַת	יִחוּדְךָ	דּוֹרְשֵׁי	גִבּוֹר	נָא	1
שמירתו	כח	יגדל	דגול	גדו ל	נא	2
שמותיך	כח	יגדל	דורשיך	גאל	נשגב	3
שניוניה:	כסיה	יעליה	דהריה	געריה	נשמריה	4
שגיוניה	כסיה	יעליה	דוהריה	געריה	נשמריה	5
שבתו	כבוד	יאירו:	דגליך	גיבור	נאור	6
ג	ת	צ	ר	ט	ב
גָּמְלֵם:	תָּמִיד	צִדְקָתְךָ	רַחֲמֵם	טַהֲרֵם	בָּרְכֵם	1
גומלהו	תמיד	צדקהו	רחמהו	טהור	ברחמי	2
גאולתינו	תבא	צמח	רוחינו	טכס	בשמך	3
גלגליה:	תהבהיה	צצציה	רמיה	טודריה	בועליה	4
גלגליה	הנהיה	צ' וז	רמיה	ורריה	בועליה חנניה קהה ב' טבטניה נ'	5
גדולתו:	תרומם	צדקה	רועה	טובך	ברוב	6

ע	נ	ט	ב	ק	ח
עֲדָתֶךָ:	נַהֵל	טוּבְךָ	בְּרוֹב	קָדוֹשׁ	חֲסִין	1
עליון	נפשו	טהר	ברוך	קדוש	חי	2
ענותנותיך	נוי	טובך	ברוב	קדוש	חסיד	3
עממיה	נתניה	טוהויה	בהבהביה	קתקיה	חנניה	4
עממיה	נ'	טבטניה	ב'	קהה	חנניה	5
עלייתו:	נופש	טוב	ברצון	קרב	חסין	6
ק	ז	פ	ל	ג	י
קְדֻשָּׁתֶךָ:	זוֹכְרֵי	פְּנֵה	לְעַמְּךָ	גֵּאֶה	יָחִיד	1
קדוש	זך	פדותיך	לבן	גלה	יה	2
קדושתיך	זכר	פדנו	לבבינו	גודל	יהמו	3
קמליה:	זהרזהר) זהריה (	פקורקריה	לממריה	גודריה	יהלשריה	4
ווליה	זוהר זרעיה	פקורקדיה	למימריה	גורריה	ידלריה	5
קדושתו:	זיו	פאר	לחזות	גאולתך	יוודע	6

ת	י	צ	ו	ק	ש
תַּעֲלוּמוֹת	יוֹדֵעַ	צַעֲקָתֵנוּ	וּשְׁמַע	קַבֵּל	שַׁוְעָתֵנוּ	1
תומיך	יושר	צדק	ומאז	קדם	שוכן	2
תהלתך	יודע	צדק	וידויינו	קול	שעה	3
תמתליה	צעיריה יתהדריה	צעדיה	והאלאליה	קדושיה	שתהודריה	4
אליה	תיה	אליה	והאל	רויה	תהורריה	5
תהילתו	ישועת	צווה	ומטיב	קרוב	שוכן	6
		והאל	ב ש כ מ ל ו	יה .	ויהוה	4
		.	בשכמל"ו	יה	ויוזוה	5

[1] Bakhtin, M. “The Problem of Speech Genres,” in Speech Genres and Other Late Essays [henceforth PS] p. 73.) p. 68.

[2] Ibid. p. 69

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid. p. 75

[5] In PS p. 85, Bakhtin notes: “Depending on the context of the utterance, the sentence ‘he died’ can also reflect a positive, joyful, even rejoicing expression…”

[6] Ibid. p. 72.

[7] PS p. 106

[8] PS p. 91

[9] PS p. 75: “…works of various scientific and artistic genres…are by nature the same kind of speech communication… they are demarcated by a change of speaking subjects.” In PT p. 104, he writes about “The text as utterance.” Also, “the work, like the rejoinder in dialogue, is oriented toward the response of the other.” (Ibid.)

[10] PS p. 63

[11] Ibid. p. 61

[12] See BT Kiddushin 71a: “the Name of 42 letters can only be given to one who is modest and humble, is middle aged, not easily angered, temperate, and free from vengeful feelings…” [trans. mine]

[13] Kiddushin 71a [translation Soncino].

[14] See: Tal, Shlomo. Ana be-Koach. In “Sinai.” Mosad HaRav Kook, (1983), pp. 297-8. סיני צב, ה/ו (תשמג) ‬

Also see: Trachtenberg, Joshua. Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion. Atheneum/Macmillan Publishers, New York (1939), p. 95: “It has been generally assumed that this name was derived from the acrostic other player beginning Ana Bekoach, ascribed to a rabbi of the second century, Nehunya ben HaKana. While it is highly improbable that this prayer was the source of the name, or that it dates back to the second century, this theory constitutes a recognition of the antiquity of the name.”

[15] Ta’am Zekenim, 57; B.M. Lewin, Otzar HaGaonim, IV (Jerusalem 1931), Hagigah, 20f. As quoted and translated by Trachtenberg, Joshua. Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion. Atheneum/Macmillan Publishers, New York (1939), p. 94.

[16] Trachtenberg, p. 94.

[17] In Rashi’s own words: שם - בן שתים עשרה ובן ארבעים ושתים לא פירשו לנו. [trans. mine].

[18] See Sefer Hareidim (R’ Eliezer Azikri) 66:105: יש לאדם ליכנס במחשבתו ברוח בהיכלין קדישין מיום הראשון עד יום השביעי, וגם יכוין בלילו ויומו בשם של מ"ב אבגית"ץ ביום אחד, וקר"ע שט"ן ביום שני, ועל דרך זה שבעת הימים, ויהיה מהרהר בשם תדיר ביראה:

[19] Tal, Shlomo. Ana be-Koach. In “Sinai.” Mosad HaRav Kook, (1983), pp. 297-8. סיני צב, ה/ו (תשמג) ‬ [trans. mine].

[20] Moreh Nevuchim, 1:62. The translation here is M. Friedlander's translation, p. 92, as quoted in Schechter, Abraham. Lectures on Jewish Liturgy. The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia (1933), p. 47.

[21] Moreh Nevuchim, 1:62. The translation here is M. Friedlander's translation, p. 92, as quoted in Schechter, Abraham. Lectures on Jewish Liturgy. The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia (1933), p. 47.

[22] Idelson writes: “The poetical prayer ana bechoah consists of…Its forty-two words are supposed to represent the Forty-two-letter Name of God which is derived from the combination of the initial letters of the words. The poem was ascribed to the Tanaite Nehunya b. Hakkana (Responses RshBA, 220).” Idelson, A. Z.. Jewish Liturgy and its Development. New York: Schocken, (1932), p. 51.

[23] She’elot u-Teshuvot Ha Rashba, siman 220.

[24] Schechter, p. 48: “Some Cabbalist even ascribed this prayer [Ana be-Koach] to Nehunya ben ha-Kanah (about 70 C.E.), as they attributed to him also the mystical books Bahir, P’liah and Kanah.”

[25] Tal, Shlomo. Ana be-Koach. In “Sinai.” Mosad HaRav Kook, (1983), pp. 297-8. סיני צב, ה/ו (תשמג) ‬ [trans. mine]: “…though the Sefer HaKanah refers to the 42 letter name it does not refer to ‘Ana be-Koach.’…”

[26]ספר הקנה- ד"ה סוד של מ"ב אותיות:

[27] ספר הקנה- ד"ה סוד של מ"ב אותיות

[28] See Schechter p. 48.

[29] Schechter (p. 49) gets this wrong for some reason. He writes: “In all probability the fact that ana be-koach is found in the ‘Sepher Ha-Kanah,’ gave rise to the assumption that it was composed by R. Nehunya.” Ana be-Koach is not found either in Sefer Hakanah or in Sefer Peliah. However, as I have stated above, the first piyyut derived from the name of 42 (Elohim be-Yisrael) is in Sefer Peliah which is usually included in a volume with Sefer HaKanah. This, in my view, is the reason that people often attribute Ana be-Koach to Nehunia b. Hakanah, and not the spurious reason given by Schechter.

[30]ספר הפליאה - ד"ה ועתה צרף שם אלהים וגם היא

[31] Trachtenberg, p. 95.

[32] See appendix for a comparison of various versions of works modeled after the name of 42.

[33] ספר הפליאה - ד"ה המליך אות ת' מבג"ד כפר"ת

[34] Op. Cit.: Sefer Hareidim (R’ Eliezer Azikri) 66:105: יש לאדם ליכנס במחשבתו ברוח בהיכלין קדישין מיום הראשון עד יום השביעי, וגם יכוין בלילו ויומו בשם של מ"ב אבגית"ץ ביום אחד, וקר"ע שט"ן ביום שני, ועל דרך זה שבעת הימים, ויהיה מהרהר בשם תדיר ביראה:

[35] Tikkunei Zohar 74:1 [translation mine.]

[36] Reishit Chochmah (Eliyahu de Vidas) Sha’ar HaKedusha 7:96.

[37] ). של"ה- מ" פסחים פרק נר מצוה (נ"ח (p. 145)

[38] Ma’avar Yabbok, Yetziat Neshamah, 119

[39] Schechter, p. 49.

[40] Kiddushin 71a: “[he] inherits two worlds, this world and the future world.” [translation Soncino].

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