Editing Aleinu (section)

==History==
A folkloric tradition attributes this prayer to the biblical [[Joshua]] at the time of his [[Battle of Jericho|conquest of Jericho]].<ref>Nulman, Macy, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) p. 24; Freundel, Barry, ''Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer'', (NY, Urim Publ'ns, 2010) pp. 205–206. Among the authorities supporting the attribution to Joshua were Rav Hai Gaon (died 1038), Eleazar of Worms (died 1230), Rabbi Nathan ben Rabbi Yehuda (13th century), and ''Kol Bo'' (publ. 16th century).</ref> This might have been inspired by the fact that the first letters of the first four verses spell, in reverse, ''Hoshea'', which was the childhood name of Joshua (Numbers 13:16).<ref>Freundel, Barry, ''Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer'', (NY, Urim Publ'ns, 2010) p. 206; Jacobson, B.S., ''The Weekday Siddur: An Exposition and Analysis of its Structure, Contents, Language and Ideas'' (2nd ed, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) p. 309.</ref> Another attribution is to the Men of the [[Great Assembly]] during the [[Second Temple period]].<ref>Nulman, Macy, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) p. 24; Freundel, Barry, ''Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer'', (NY, Urim Publications, 2010) p. 207. This attribution was supported by Manasseh ben Israel (died 1657).</ref> An early—that is, pre-Christian—the origin of the prayer is evidenced by its explicit mention of bowing and kneeling—practices associated with the Temple and its non-mention of exile or a desire to restore Israel or the Temple.<ref>Freundel, Barry, ''Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer'', (NY, Urim Publications, 2010) p. 210; Hertz, Joseph H., ''The Authorized Daily Prayer Book with commentary, introductions and notes'' (rev. American ed. 1948, NY, Bloch Publ'g) p. 208; Reif, Stefan C., ''Judaism and Hebrew Prayer'' (1993, Cambridge University Press) pp. 208–209.</ref> On the other hand, it has been argued that the phrase ''lirot meherah be-tiferet uzechah'' (to speedily see your ''tiferet'' and ''oz''), is in fact, a request for the speedy rebuilding of the Temple.<ref>{{cite journal|last=First|first=Mitchell|title=Aleinu: Obligation to Fix the World or the Text?|journal=Hakirah|year=2011|volume=11|pages=187–197, at p. 194}} See www.hakirah.org/Vol%2011%20First.pdf</ref> The allusion is based on Psalms 78:61 and 96:6. If so, at least the second paragraph of ''Aleinu'' was written after the destruction in 70 CE (perhaps around the time of [[Abba Arikha]]).

Its first appearance is the manuscript of the [[Rosh Hashana]] liturgy by the 3rd-century Babylonian Talmudic sage [[Abba Arikha]]. He included it in the Rosh Hashana ''[[mussaf]]'' service as a prologue to the Kingship portion of the [[Amidah]]. For that reason, some attribute to Arikha the authorship, or at least the revising, of ''Aleinu''.<ref>Jacobson, B.S., ''The Weekday Siddur: An Exposition and Analysis of its Structure, Contents, Language and Ideas'' (2nd ed, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) p. 307; Nulman, Macy, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) p. 24.</ref>

In [[Blois]], France, in 1171, it is alleged that a number of Jews—reportedly 34 men and 17 women—were burned at the stake for refusing to renounce their faith. They are said to have gone to their deaths bravely singing ''Aleinu'' to a "soul-stirring" melody, which astonished their executioners. Some have suggested that this act of martyrdom inspired the adoption of ''Aleinu'' into the daily liturgy.<ref>Hertz, Joseph H., ''The Authorized Daily Prayer Book with Commentary, Introductions and Hotes'' (rev. American ed. 1948, NY, Bloch Publishing) p. 209; Freundel, Barry, ''Why We Pray What We Pray: The Remarkable History of Jewish Prayer'', (NY, Urim Publications, 2010) pp. 228–229 and 236; Jacobson, B.S., ''The Weekday Siddur: An Exposition and Analysis of its Structure, Contents, Language and Ideas'' (2nd ed, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publishing) p. 307; Nulman, Macy, ''Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer'' (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) p. 25; Reif, Stefan C., ''Judaism and Hebrew Prayer'' (1993, Cambridge University Press) p. 209.</ref> But ''Aleinu'' is already found at the end of the daily [[shacharit]] in [[Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry#Machzor Vitry|''Machzor Vitry'']] in the early 12th century, well before 1171.