Akdamus Milin
The Enigma of the Classic Shavuos Piyyut from 1,000 Years Ago
Akdamus Millin, 13th Century Machzor of Worms
The Author of Akdamus Millin
Although his place of origin remains a mystery (it may have been Babylonia), Rabbi Meir (ben Yitzchak) Shaliach Tzibbur lived most of his life in or near Worms, Germany in the 11th century (ca. 1000-1060). It is known that his son Yitzchak was massacred during the First Crusade in 1096. Rabbi Meir’s repute as an accomplished Torah scholar can be seen from the fact that Rashi quotes him in several places in his commentary on Tanach (see for example Hoshea 6:9, Amos 3:12, and Tehillim 73:12). In addition, there is evidence that Rashi learned directly from Rabbi Meir during the years that he studied in the Rhineland.
Yet Rabbi Meir’s scholarly repute is not what earned him an illustrious name among the great Torah leaders of Ashkenaz. Rather, Rabbi Meir is remembered as a beloved leader of prayer, hence his name Rabbi Meir ‘Shaliach Tzibbur’. He was considered an expert in the various dimensions of tefillah from the simple to the esoteric. Among the many piyyutim which he composed (forty-eight are known to us), Rabbi Meir is most well-known for his Akdamus Millin, which is recited on Shavuos in most Ashkenazic communities until this very day.
The Peculiar Placement of Akdamos Millin
What sets Akdamus apart from other piyyutim is that it is the only piece of Jewish liturgy which is recited along with the reading of the Torah. [Piyyutim are generally inserted into various parts of tefillah as reflected by their names, e.g. Yotzros, Ofen, and Zulas].
Moreover, as Rabbi Avraham Klausner (ca. 1340-1408) and his student the Maharil (1365-1427) record, Akdamus is actually recited during the reading of the Torah immediately after the first pasuk has been read! The strange placement of Akdamus begs the obvious question: Why would this piyyut be recited after reading just one pasuk? (We will return to this question shortly.)
The Halachic Debate
The rather strange placement of Akdamus actually poses a halachic conundrum. Prominent halachic authorities starting with Rabbi Dovid ha-Levi Segal (1586-1667) in his Taz (O.C. 494:1) questioned the permissibility of interrupting the Torah reading to recite Akdamus. As the Taz reports, several recognized rabbis of his day deemed this custom highly questionable so they moved the recital of Akdamus to before the Torah reading.
Although many rabbis including the Taz tried to change the minhag, others firmly held onto the original minhag. Rabbi Yakov Reischer (1660-1733) in his Chok Yakov (ibid, #3), cites Rabbi Efrayim ha-Kohen of Vilna (1616-1678) who in a responsum to the Jews of Venice (Sha’ar Efrayim, O.C. #10) adamantly maintains that under no circumstances should the minhag be changed. Rabbi Reischer concludes that the custom in his city is like the Sha’ar Efrayim and notes that those who tried to change the custom were unsuccessful. It bears mentioning that Rabbi Efrayim ha-Kohen’s great-grandson, Rabbi Yakov Emden (Ya’avetz) disagreed with his ancestor and maintained that Akdamus should be recited before the Torah reading.
A fascinating tradition recounts that Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ginsburg, prominently known as the Shages Aryeh (1695-1785), attempted to change the minhag in Metz so that Akdamus would be recited before the Torah reading. However, his endeavor ultimately failed because the community members refused to change their minhag. [The custom in Metz had already been established by Rabbi Yakov Reischer who as mentioned above, ruled like the Sha’ar Efrayim. He served as rabbi of Metz for more than a decade until his passing in 1733 ]. Sometime later, when the community officials presented him the pinkas ha-kehal to notarize (it was customary for the rabbi to sign this document), Rabbi Aryeh Leib added the Aseres ha-Dibros into the text. When asked about the strange addition, Rabbi Aryeh Leib replied: I see that you cherish the customs of our town so much that you are prepared to wage war with the rabbi about them. Accordingly, I thought to myself, let me add the Aseres ha-Dibros into the pinkas ha-kehal, perhaps then you will at least fulfill them like you fulfill the custom regarding Akdamus. [It should be noted that other versions of this story exist.]
It emerges that while some rabbinic figures of the 17th and 18th centuries questioned and even changed the placement of Akdamus, others were adamant that Akdamos be recited during the Torah reading.
The Legend Behind Akdamus
Let us return to the question at hand: Why was Akdamus customarily recited during the Torah reading, after reading just one pasuk?
Rabbi Eliyahu Spira (1660-1712), prominently known as the Elyah Rabbah, mentions a valuable piece of information concerning the strange placement of Akdamus. In his Elyah Rabbah (O.C. 494:5) Rabbi Spira cites the above-mentioned argument between the Taz and the Sha’ar Efrayim. Rabbi Spira then concludes:
An ancient manuscript printed in Yiddish relates the story behind the composition of Akdamus. The account concludes that since the incident occurred in the desert, it was decided to recite Akdamus after the first pasuk of the Torah reading which mentions the Desert of Sinai.
While the details of this miraculous event are murky and have been passed down in the form of various legendary tales, Rabbi Yehudah Leib Maimon (1875-1962) surmises that a bishop convinced the king to issue a catastrophic decree against the Jews of a certain locale in Germany. The condemned Jews requested an extension and arranged for a wise man from a faraway place to intercede on their behalf. Evidently this man was none other than Rabbi Meir Shaliach Tzibbur who spoke at length with the king about matters of the Jewish faith. Rabbi Meir succeeded in his mission and the king rescinded his decree. Rabbi Maimon theorizes that this event inspired Rabbi Meir Shaliach Tzibbur to compose Akdamus which, among other themes, extolls those that uphold the Torah despite being subjected to affliction and persecution.
For other explanations regarding the placement of Akdamus during the Torah reading see the following sources: Rabbi Shnayeur Zalman Moshe Friedman’s introduction to his commentary on Akdamos titled Shnei ha-Me’oros, and responsa Kiryas Chanah, #7.