Yesod ‘olam (Foundation of the World)

Moses Zacuto

1642

A Room in Terah’s House

Terah and Abraham

Terah:

Who is he and where is he [see Esther 7:6], who against the Ba‘al idol

Sent forth his hand like an adversary, with impudence?
Who is this evil one, adversary, and plunderer,
Who acted with great wickedness as an eternal enemy?
Who would believe that the lofty gods
He smashed and trampled to bits like one who threshes seeds?
Woe, for my son will be our disgrace,
A scorn and derision to those who surround us (Psalms 44:14)!

 

Abram:

Be silent and quiet, my lord, please hear

My words. Why do you shout to no avail?
Know that yesterday, to the chambers of the idols,
A woman arrived, a widow, in mourning.
She brought her offering of honeycomb to them,
Requesting their grace and assistance.
In their presence the old lady was unceasingly
Begging, crying, and praying.
After her prayer, in great delight and joy
She returned to her tent with good hope,
As she thought that her prayer had already
Risen before the yielding gods and been accepted.
But then I heard an uproar, pain like the sound of
A pregnant woman on a birthing stool, like one howling.
For the largest idol, in a spirit of pride,
Had rejected and repulsed his friends.
“This gift”—he declared—“is for me alone,
As I hold the glorious majesty of my reign over you.”
They, for their part, did not wish to listen to him, and equally
Their souls loathed his soul in turn.
Then his rage burned within him
Greatly, like the flame of a fire within the coals.
He girded his weapon, as one venturing out to battle.
He took a hammer in hand, and also a knife,
And he cruelly smashed all your idols.
Here they are before you, like faded flowers.
He then fled and hid, and his soul was
Anguished, bleak, and in mourning.
As proof for my claim, please my lord, look
And see him; he is behind the door.

 

Translated by

Avi 
Steinhart

.

 

Credits

Moses Zacuto, “Yesod ‘olam (Foundation of the World)” (Manuscript, Amsterdam, 1642). Published as: Moses ben Mordecai Zacuto, Yesod ʻolam, ed. David Jacob Maroni (Livorno: Israel Kushta, 1874/75), 5–7.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Creator Bio

Moses Zacuto

1625–1697

Born in Amsterdam, Moses Zacuto was a rabbi, kabbalist, commentator, poet, playwright, and community leader. He began his studies at the Ets Ḥayim Talmud Torah in Amsterdam, where he was educated in both Jewish and non-Jewish literature. For a while he lived in Hamburg, and later in Poznań (Posen), where he improved his knowledge of kabbalah. In 1644, Zacuto began a journey to the land of Israel, but he ended up remaining in Venice. In 1673 he relocated to Mantua to serve as the community’s rabbi. He wrote commentaries on biblical and rabbinic texts, literature, and responsa, among other works.

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