Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tefillat Od Yosef Chai

In chapter 5 of Kol HaTor, there is a nusach of a Tefillah entitled Od Yosef Chai (Yosef still lives). It was a tradition in the Old Yishuv to daven this Tefillah at the place entitled Pitcha D'Karta (Aramaic for the Opening of the City). How the placing of this was determined is an interesting topic. The bottom line is that the this location was determined, back in the 19th century, to be at the top of Rechov Shtraus in downtown Yerushalayim, where the old Histadrut building is.

In the weeks prior to the Hitnatkut in 5765, there was a gathering at this location to say this prayer.

Rav Yosef Rivlin, one of the editors of the 5754 edition of Kol HaTor, and a direct descendent of Rav Shlomo Zalman Rivlin who published Kol HaTor originally in the period between the 2 World Wars, was there. He recounted how they would come back in his youth to this location to daven this tefillah. He told us that they would say that the Histadrut building was built davka there in order to keep them from praying at the spot (the prayer was then moved to the backyard of the building).

Within the last few years, a set of books was published by the name of Torat HaGeulah. If I recall correctly, the publisher is on Yehudah HaMaccabi street near Lishkat HaGiyus. With this set of 3 books, they also have a tiny paperback copy of this Tefillah.

2 comments:

  1. 3 book set published by "Shalom"

    includes: Chazon Tzion,Mosud H'yesod, Doresh L'Tzion

    Yehudah Hamachabi 5
    M'kor Baruch, Jerusalem
    Tel: 02-538-0195
    fax: 02-538-5095

    ReplyDelete
  2. A very nice sefarim store indeed. I found there this year Peat HaShulchan on Hilchot Shmitah from Yeshivat Ramat Gan.

    ReplyDelete