Asenath Barzani was a 17th century Kurdistani rabbinic scholar and poet. She was regarded as a talmudic prodigy. Her father was the head of the yeshivah in Mosul. When her father and husband died, she assumed leadership of the school. The following was a petition for the financial support of her struggling yeshivah, written in the tradition of Hebrew poetry.
Oh you righteous ones, have mercy—
Not for my own glory or status
Am I moved to tears
But for the word of my Gd, my Rock, my creator
Not for my needs
Not for my clothing or my food
But so this house of learning may endure
May my strength not leave me now
What I would give to defend this teaching
Within me an ember is kindled
I would raise up this fallen sukkah
And clear out all the debris
The ember that was kindled on the mountain,
Let it not be extinguished
For it ignites my purest thoughts,
And lifts up Gd’s name in the wilderness
And brings life to my soul
I will act with the fullness of my strength,
On this page I declare
If my students are scattered from this place
What worth would have my days and my nights?
And so, hear now, you faithful ones
You righteous ones, listen to me.
