[Avodah] Nesane Tokef

[Zev Sero]

On 8/09/2013 2:27 PM, Eli Turkel wrote:

> I saw an interesting comment from from R. Brander. He says that the
> Or Zarua uses the language "Yesed Unesane Tokef". Thus his
> interpretaion is that it was established in Ashkenaz by a Rav Amnon.
> However, indeed it was written many centuries earlier.

The Or Zarua doesn't testify to the historicity of the story.  He merely
reports that he found it written in a book, and thought it worth repeating.
Since he didn't know the book's author, he couldn't possibly know whether it
was intended as fact or fiction, or, if fact, how reliable the author was.
So not believing the story is not at all a pegam on the Or Zarua.

However, if the story were true, it wouldn't be surprising for this R Amnon
either to say an existing piyut rather than compose his own, as R Brander
suggests.  But it would also not be surprising for him to  compose his own
piyut but quote in it some powerful lines from an existing piyut that he
knew.  (AFAIK the Cairo geniza does not have the whole text that we do; it
has fragments, which might be from an earlier piyut that merely influenced
the author of ours, whoever he might be.)

-- 
Zev Sero               A citizen may not be required to offer a 'good and
zev at sero.name          substantial reason' why he should be permitted to
                        exercise his rights. The right's existence is all
                        the reason he needs.
                            - Judge Benson E. Legg, Woollard v. Sheridan