Nishmat
Encyclopedia
Nishmat is a Jewish prayer that is recited following the Song of the Sea
during Pesukei D'Zimrah
but before Yishtabach
on Shabbat
and Yom Tov. It is also recited during the Passover seder
in some traditions. The recitation of this prayer is not required by halakha
in Judaism, but nevertheless, is prized by halakhic authorities because the concepts covered in this prayer are basic to Halakha.
Nishmat and Yishtabach
are in some ways considered to be one long prayer, abridged just to Yishtabach on weekdays when there is no time to recite the entire prayer.
In this prayer, the word Nishmat (breath) that begins the prayer is related to the word neshama
(soul
), suggesting that the soul is part of the breath of all life. The theme of the prayer is the uniqueness of G-d.
Some halakha can be derived from the prayer Nishmat. The commandment Do not lie idly by the blood of your neighbor requires a person to rescue another s/he sees is in danger. But from Nishmat, it can be seen that one who is not physically present where the danger is taking place is exempt from performing any rescue action. Some examples of this include the obligation to rescue a person from a burning building in one's own location, but an exemption from the obligation to donate an organ when doing so can save a life (though doing so is still permitted).
The existence of this prayer is believed to have been from early on. The Talmud
attributes the prayer to Rabbi Yochanan in the third century, but there are opinions that it may be older.
Nishmat became a standard part of the liturgy by the time of Saadia Gaon
.
The exact author of the prayer is not known. Some scholars have suggested that it was authored by a man named Yitzchak (יצחק, Isaac) with a wife named Rivka (רבקה, Rebecca) based on the acrostic
arrangement of the verses, but others have dismissed this idea.
Some scholars have suggested that the author's name may have been Shimon (שמון, Simon) from an acrostic within the prayer, and have considered this could be Shimon ben Shetach or perhaps even Apostle Peter, whose Hebrew name was Shimon, which would place the date of authorship at around 100 BCE.
Song of the sea
The Song of the Sea is a poem that appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at . It is followed in verses 20 and 21 by a much shorter song sung by Miriam and the other women...
during Pesukei D'Zimrah
Pesukei D'Zimrah
Pesukei dezimra or zemirot, as they are called in the Spanish and Portuguese tradition, are a group of prayers that are recited daily during Jewish morning services...
but before Yishtabach
Yishtabach
Yishtabach is a prayer in the final portion of the Pesukei Dezimra morning prayers of Judaism known as shacharit, recited before the second kaddish leading to the Shema prayers....
on Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and Yom Tov. It is also recited during the Passover seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
in some traditions. The recitation of this prayer is not required by halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
in Judaism, but nevertheless, is prized by halakhic authorities because the concepts covered in this prayer are basic to Halakha.
Nishmat and Yishtabach
Yishtabach
Yishtabach is a prayer in the final portion of the Pesukei Dezimra morning prayers of Judaism known as shacharit, recited before the second kaddish leading to the Shema prayers....
are in some ways considered to be one long prayer, abridged just to Yishtabach on weekdays when there is no time to recite the entire prayer.
In this prayer, the word Nishmat (breath) that begins the prayer is related to the word neshama
Neshama
Neshama is a Hebrew word meaning soul. It may refer to:* The Jewish notion of the soul* Neshama Carlebach* Neshamah, a CD by Tim Sparks....
(soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
), suggesting that the soul is part of the breath of all life. The theme of the prayer is the uniqueness of G-d.
Some halakha can be derived from the prayer Nishmat. The commandment Do not lie idly by the blood of your neighbor requires a person to rescue another s/he sees is in danger. But from Nishmat, it can be seen that one who is not physically present where the danger is taking place is exempt from performing any rescue action. Some examples of this include the obligation to rescue a person from a burning building in one's own location, but an exemption from the obligation to donate an organ when doing so can save a life (though doing so is still permitted).
Origin
Nishmat is considered one of the masterpieces of Jewish liturgy. It is seen as a journey of self-discovery, describing G-d as a source of prayer.The existence of this prayer is believed to have been from early on. The Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
attributes the prayer to Rabbi Yochanan in the third century, but there are opinions that it may be older.
Nishmat became a standard part of the liturgy by the time of Saadia Gaon
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon was a prominent rabbi, Jewish philosopher, and exegete of the Geonic period.The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature...
.
The exact author of the prayer is not known. Some scholars have suggested that it was authored by a man named Yitzchak (יצחק, Isaac) with a wife named Rivka (רבקה, Rebecca) based on the acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
arrangement of the verses, but others have dismissed this idea.
Some scholars have suggested that the author's name may have been Shimon (שמון, Simon) from an acrostic within the prayer, and have considered this could be Shimon ben Shetach or perhaps even Apostle Peter, whose Hebrew name was Shimon, which would place the date of authorship at around 100 BCE.