Human Follies: For Sukkot

Joseph Yedidya Carmi arrived in Modena in his childhood and subsequently became a teacher. In 1623, the Usiglio family established a synagogue and appointed Joseph as its cantor. They also requested that he compose a prayer book for the synagogue’s devotional confraternity, Shomrim la-boker (“Morning Watchers”). This collection, which includes laments, prayers, and liturgical songs, demonstrates clear kabbalistic influences and also draws heavily on midrashic material. The work was at the center of a polemic prior to its publication. Joseph’s brother-in-law, Aaron Berekhiah of Modena, who had compiled a similar prayer book for the confraternity he established, criticized the innovative nature of Carmi’s work, claiming that the recitation of new poems or prayers was forbidden. He also argued that that the extensive use of midrash made the collection unsuited to the current climate and highlighted contradictions with Lurianic kabbalah. However, rabbis ruled in favor of the work’s publication. A number of responsa by Carmi have survived in manuscript.