Perek Shira

Title page of Perek Shira in an 18th-century illuminated manuscript.
A close up of Perek Shira from a 17th-century Dutch Siddur

Perek Shira (Hebrew פרק שירה, lit. "Chapter of Song") is an ancient Jewish text. There are a number of versions extant, some associated with the Ashkenazic tradition, some with the Sephardic, and some with the Mizrahi Jews tradition.[1] It was first printed, with a commentary, in Moses ben Joseph de Trani's Bet Elohim (1576), but it is mentioned as early as the 10th century.[2] It contains 85 sections, in each of which elements of creation, beginning with the celestial and ending with dogs, use biblical and rabbinic verses in order to sing God's praises. Use of Perek Shira used to be prevalent in the daily liturgy and medieval philosopher Joseph Albo wrote that whoever recites Perek Shira is guaranteed a place in the World to Come.[3]

  1. ^ Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ: Jason Aronson) page 266; Malichi Beit-Arie, PEREK SHIRAH, Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed. 2007) vol. 15, page 760. An example is that one version has the mouse and the cat alternate with two verses each, another version separates them and gives each only one verse.
  2. ^ Macy Nulman, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ: Jason Aronson) page 266; Bacher, Wilhelm; Judah David Eisenstein. "SHIRAH, PEREK (PIRKE)". Jewish Encyclopedia. S. Retrieved 3 February 2009.; Malichi Beit-Arie, PEREK SHIRAH, Encyclopedia Judaica (2nd ed. 2007) vol. 15, page 760.
  3. ^ Bacher, Wilhelm; Judah David Eisenstein. "SHIRAH, PEREK (PIRKE)". Jewish Encyclopedia. S. Retrieved 3 February 2009.