The Ancient Version of the Ma[illegible text]ariv [illegible text]Aravim Blessing in Cairo Genizah Prayer-Books / לנוסחה הקדום של ברכת 'המעריב ערבים' לאור קטעי הסידורים מן הגניזה הקהירית

This article discusses the wording of the Ma[illegible text]ariv [illegible text]Aravim blessing, the first benediction of the recitation of the Shema in the evening prayer. Based on the examination of more than 150 manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah prayer-books the authors propose a classification of versions of the benediction in the daily and Sabbath prayers as it was recited in the Cairo community and its surroundings. The examination of these variants reveals the clear identification of a single ancient and prose formulation, common to both the Palestinian and Babylonian rites. Beside this prose version of the benediction, there were also other versions which were influenced by poetry and were recited as fixed prayers — for daily use in the Palestinian rite or as part of the Sabbath eve and Saturday night prayers in the Babylonian rite