Talk:שמעון הקלפוס
Haggadah Simchas Yavetz/English Commentary Insights and comments on the Pesach Haggadah: Its text, form and structure By Rabbi David Cohen Translated by Rabbi Zev Meisels Mesorah Publications Brooklyn, 1993 281 pages
Nishmas
The Machzor Vitri (Seder Leil Pesach L’Rashi, quoted in Siddur Otzar HaTefillos, Tikkun Tefillah) writes that some claim that Nishmas was written by Shimon Kipah or Keifa (whom the Christians know as the apostle Saint Peter); this is followed by the emphatic statement that it is not so, and that anyone who repeats the story will be obligated to bring a sin-offering when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt.
The Machzor Vitri is referring to the popular legend that Shimon [Peter] was actually a Tanna, who, in order to distance a nascent Christianity from Judaism, pretended to become a Christian, and instituted laws for Christians designed to accentuate the break from Judaism, so that no Jew would find any similarity between the two religions and be fooled by it (see Jellinek’s Beis HaMedrash, Volume VI). It is evident that the Machzor Vitri disbelieved the tale; however, R’ Yehudah HeChassid (Sefer Chassidim #91) refers to Shimon Keifa as a righteous tzaddik who had followers who were evil, indicating that R’ Yehudah held the story to have basis in fact. Some say that he was known not as Shimon Keifa, Simon the Rock, but Shimon Kipa, Simon of the Dome, because he confined himself to a dome (or basilica) to avoid desecrating Shabbos, and lived on bread and water.
From the Gemara (Pesachim 118a) we can deduce that Nishmas dates from the time of the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, the members of the Great Assembly, for we find Nishmas mentioned as part of the Haggadah (according to R’ Yochanan), whose precise text was probably established by the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah….
(From Survey of Some of the Best English-Language Haggadot: Short Reviews and Snippets By Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer maggid shiur at Yeshiva University High School for Boys and at Ohr Somayach in Monsey. He is also an editor at Artscroll/Mesorah, and is currently working on the new “Daily Dose” project.)
