Meshiakh ben Dovid zitst oybn on

This illuminated initial letter of the so-called Kaufmann Haggadah, copied in Catalonia in the 14th century represents a king raising his goblet to say a blessing: BRWK, that is Baruk Adonai, Blessed be the Lord. The king is in all probability David, for in the haggadah resuming the liturgy of Seder Night this image follows Psalm 113 of David:

Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Let the name of the Lord be praised both now and for evermore!
From the risig of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
his glory above the heavens.

The Bohemian David Kaufmann (1852-1899) won at a competition the first professor’s chair of the College of Rabbinical Studies of Budapest founded in 1877. He soon learned perfect Hungarian too, as foreseen by the requirements of his new position, and later he left his precious collection of medieval Hebrew manuscripts to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. We are just working on their web edition with Studiolum.

We have selected this blessing initial from the most famous manuscript of the collection as the emblem of our edition. For David Kaufmann himself became identical with King David for a moment when, out of exuberant joy felt over the purchase of the most ancient – 10th-century Palestinian - manuscript of the Mishnah, he wrote his own thanksgiving poem on the inner endpaper of the manuscript with the title “Psalm of David”.


This representation of King David seen exactly in the eschatological light of Seder Night also foresees the figure of the Messiah, as he is described in this beautiful Hassidic song:

A string of pearls, a golden banner The Messiah, son of David sits on high Holding a goblet in his right hand Making a blessing on the whole land. Amen and amen, this is sure: The Messiah will come this year. If he comes by chariot, There will be good years. If he comes on horseback, There will be good times. If he comes on foot, The Jews will go into the Land of Israel.

Shnirele perele, gildene fon Meshiakh ben Dovid zitst oybn on Er halt a bekher in der rekhter hant, Makht a brokhe afn gantsn land. Omeyn veomeyn, dos iz vor, Meshiakh vet kumen hayntiks yor. Vet er kumen tsu forn, Veln zayn gute yorn. Vet er kumen tsu raytn, Veln zayn gute tsaytn. Vet er kumen tsu geyn, Veln di yidn in erets yisroyl aynshteyn.

Kata recounts that when the Klezmatics at the very end of the 80’s – among the first signs of the political opening of Hungary – gave a concert in Budapest, and they had been frolicking throughout all the night with such modern klezmers like


Klezmatics: Man in a Hat (3'03") (From the disk Jews with Horns)

at the very end they suddenly stopped short, and then silently started this song: The Messiah will come this year.


Klezmatics: Shnirele perele (6'11") (From the disk Rhythm & Jews)

The public of the concert – secularized Jews of the second and third generation – listened to them in a dumbfounded silence.