Bakkashot

("supplications"). Liturgical poems (Piyyutim) recited in the Sephardi ritual, originally prior to the daily Morning Service but later only on Sabbath mornings. The tradition appears to have originated in the late 17th or early 18th century, under the influence of the Safed kabbalists. These poems focus on the nature of God, the Sabbath, the redemption of Israel, and such mystical elements as the Sefirot (Emanations) and the shekhinah (Divine Presence). Collections of such prayers in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic have been handed down from generation to generation, each adding its own contribution. In the Syrian (Aleppo) and Moroccan traditions, now flourishing in Israel, young and old alike gather in synagogue to chant bakkashot, commencing 3 a.m. every Sabbath throughout the winter, from the Sabbath after Simḥat Torah to the Sabbath before Purim.

---