Rachel Morpurgo - 19th-century Italian Jewish poet

Judaism, Wntr, 2000 by Yael Levine Katz

(27.) Dan Pagis, A Secret Sealed: Hebrew Baroque Emblem-Riddles from Italy and Holland (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1986), p. 154. See further Pagis, pp. 165, 224.

(28.) KY 16 (1852): 8 [=UR, p. 64].

(29.) Cecil Roth, "Ghirondi, Mordecai Samuel ben Benzion Aryeh," Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 7, p. 548.

(30.) KY 18 (1853): 41 [=UR, p. 65].

(31.) Morris B. Margolies, Samuel David Luzzatto: Traditionalist Scholar (New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1979), p. 25.

(32.) Margolies, Samuel David Luzzatto, pp. 25, 32-33, 125.

(33.) Haggadah (Hebrew title), Racconto degli avvenimenti memorabili occasionanti la Pasqua. Traduzione riveduta e corretta [da] [ldots] Mayer Randegger (Vienna: Adalberto della Torre, 1851). In his introduction Randegger stated that his daughter had prepared the translation. The Hebrew version of Rachel's poem makes use of the term "Perush ha-Haggadah," which may also be interpreted, in theory at least, as commentary, though here it is not the correct connotation. See, for example: Howard Adelman, "Women's Voices in Italian Jewish Literature," in Women of the Word: Jewish Women and Jewish Writing, edited by Judith R. Baskin (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1994), p. 64. On this haggadah, see further: The Haggadah Thesaurus: Bibliography of Passover Haggadot From the Beginning of Hebrew Printing until 1960 (Hebrew), edited by Isaac Yudlov (Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1997), p. 75, #952; p. 77, #974.

(34.) UR, pp. 95-96. An Italian translation of the poem by Castiglioni ensues the Hebrew version (p. 96).

(35.) Asher Barash, Mivhar ha-Shirah ha-Ivrit ha-Hadashah (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Schocken, 1938), p. 30.

(36.) Joseph Klausner, Historyah shel ha-Sifrut ha-Ivrit [ha-Hadashah.sup.2] (Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Ahi'asaf, 1954), p. 45.

(37.) Castiglioni, UR, "Introduction," p. 6.

(38.) The first such poem by Adolf Ehrentheil appeared in 1850 (KY 13 [1850]: 43-45). Mentioning the biblical poetesses Miriam, Hannah, and Deborah, he stated that throughout the generations the voice of women had become silent until the Hebrew poetess Rachel Morpurgo arose. He called on the poetic souls, presumably male, to stand by her side, and express their support in and favor of her. Indeed, response to Ehrentheil's plea did not linger, and an outpouring of laudatory writings ensued. Rachel herself reacted to Ehrentheil's praise in a poem that appeared in the following issue (KYl4 [1851]:84 [=UR, p. 63]). In it she asserted that her intention was not to have her voice heard, but rather that the Torah be made great. A short piece of poetry directed to Rachel's husband, Jacob, then appeared in 1851, by Hermann Boss, a teacher of religion (KY 14 [1851]: 64). The author juxtaposed him with Jacob our forefather. Stating that Jacob worked for Rachel who was beautiful for seven years, he concluded by posing th e following question: How many years has Jacob worked for Rachel who possessed "intelligence together with grace of language." Writer and scholar Alexander Langbank viewed her as the "glory of women," one who surpassed all. Whereas the wisdom of most women consisted of making mantles and headdressns, she strove to amass wisdom (KY15 [1851]: 64). She responded in a poem be littling her poetry, stating that if as a fleeting shadow the spirit of poetry carried on its wings dust that it accumulated, it rested on her clothing, but none remained; her poetry was like a shaken out garment (KYl6 [1852]: 85-86 [=UR, p.61]).