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Shfokh Hamatkha in the Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael

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The provocative "Pour out Your wrath" passage in the Ashkenazic Passover Haggadah originates from an unexpected source: the second-century Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael. Both texts employ identical biblical verses from Psalm 69:25 and Jeremiah 10:25/Psalm 79:6-7 within parallel thematic frameworks, with the Mekhilta's commentary on Exodus 15:7 from the Song at the Sea providing the midrashic foundation for the Haggadah's imprecatory verses. Through textual analysis and comparative methodology, the research reveals how the Haggadah adapted its Mekhilta source by reordering verses, substituting Psalm 79:6-7 for the Jeremiah passage, and incorporating Lamentations 3:66—which appears in Mekhilta with identical eschatological implications. When contextualized within responses to the Crusades, these textual connections demonstrate how medieval Ashkenazic Jews strategically drew upon tannaitic midrashic sources to address pressing theological concerns about divine absence. Beyond illuminating the Haggadah's literary development, these findings reveal Sh'fokh Ḥamatkha not merely as a vengeful outcry but as a profound affirmation of God's continuing redemptive power, highlighting the continuity of Jewish theological responses to historical trauma.

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    Published 2013-2014

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