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a community-grown, libre Open Access archive of Jewish prayer and liturgical resources
This project is sustained through reciprocity for those sharing prayers and crafting their own prayerbooks.
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 Contributor(s):“A Prayer for the Flood Stricken” was offered by Rabbi David Dine Wirtschafter and shared via his Facebook page on 28 July 2022. He adds, “Please contribute to the Team Eastern Kentucky Relief Fund.” . . . Contributor(s):“Prayer for Ukraine” by Menachem Creditor was first shared by Rabbi Menachem Creditor through a post in the Open Siddur Project Discussion Group on Facebook. . . . A Prayer for Uvalde [after the Massacre at Robb Elementary School], by Rabbi Stephen Belsky (25 May 2022) Contributor(s):A prayer for Uvalde and for all of us, from a little over three hours away, up the road in Austin… . . . Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in Russian. . . . 📖 (אשכנז) Cantamos y Permanecemos Juntos: Plegarias del Servicio Matutino del Shabbat (Richard Collis 2022) Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in Spanish. . . . 📖 (אשכנז) Wir Singen Wir Bleiben Zusammen: Gebete zum Morgengottesdienst am Shabbat (Richard Collis 2022) Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in German. . . . 📖 (אשכנז) Nous Chantons Nous Restons Ensemble: Prières du Service du Matin de Shabbat (Richard Collis 2022) Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in French. . . . Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in Portuguese. . . . 📖 (אשכנז) 我们歌唱，我们相聚 — 安息日晨祷祈祷 | Wǒmen gēchàng, wǒmen xiāngjù — Ānxírì chén dǎo qídǎo (Richard Collis 2022) Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in Chinese. . . . Contributor(s):In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in English. . . . Contributor(s):Jews around the world fast on the day after Rosh haShanah to commemorate the murder of Gedalyahu son of Aḥiqam, the officer appointed over Judah who sought to make peace and rebuild before being murdered by a religious extremist and officially bringing an end to the first commonwealth era. The tragedy of Gedalyahu is not just that he was assassinated, but that he was assassinated by a Jew who was using religion (specifically his claim to the line of David) as an excuse. This narrative bears striking similarities to the murder of Prime Minister Yitzḥaq Rabin on 12 Marḥeshvan 5756. On account of this, some Jews have taken it upon themselves to memorialize Rabin on Tzom Gedalyahu as well. This piyyut could be added to the seliḥot for Tzom Gedalyahu, or part of a new seliḥot service for 12 Marḥeshvan. . . . Contributor(s):A prayer for voting in the 2022 Israeli legislative election. . . . Contributor(s):An amulet to protect against dog allergies. Made for a relative with a bad dog allergy who was forced, for work reasons, to host an event featuring many dogs. Print on both sides and keep it in your pocket. Best if used with Zyrtec. . . . Contributor(s):This is a brief prayer for America’s veterans and service members on Veterans Day . . . Contributor(s):This is an egalitarian version of the Aneinu litany recited at the end of Seliḥot services, featuring equal representation for the women of the Tanakh and Talmud. . . . Contributor(s):This is Mendel Roth’s prayer upon sharing his Shirat ha-Ahavah (song of love). The text of the prayer was provided in the description to the video on Youtube. English translation of the pointed Hebrew by Aharon Varady. . . . Contributor(s):Qevelta de-Liba’i (“My Heart’s Lament”) is a melancholy song I wrote in Targumic Judeo-Aramaic in 2010. This piece is an existential peek into an old man’s private moment. He looks in the mirror and waxes wistful, longing for his bygone youth. . . . A Prayer for Those Denied Abortion Care, by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (National Council of Jewish Women 2021) Contributor(s):“A Prayer for Those Denied Abortion Care” was composed collectively by the staff of the National Council of Jewish Women and disseminated on Facebook in response to the regressive health care policies of the State of Texas in the United States in 2021. . . . מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ לְבָּרְוָחָה הַנַּפְשִׁית | Mi sheBerakh for Mental Health Wellness (the Blue Dove Foundation, 2021) Contributor(s):We believe Jewish prayers and rituals can help to strengthen our mental well-being, resilience and recovery in the same way middot, or Jewish values, can promote them. Faith is an important part of healing for many, and Jewish thinkers and leaders historically have brought the two together. When someone is ill or recovering from illness or an accident, we often recite a mi sheberakh to wish them a refuah sheleimah, or a “full recovery.” We have expanded this prayer for those who are struggling with mental health with this Mi Sheberakh for Mental Health. –the Blue Dove Foundation . . . 📄 שֶׁבַע מִצְוֺת בְּנֵי נֹחַ | the 7 Noaḥide Commands, or those prohibitions mandated upon all of humanity according to early Rabbinic sources Contributor(s):A comprehensive list of the Noaḥide laws recorded in early rabbinic traditions. . . . Contributor(s):“A New Birkat haMazon/Blessing After the Meal” was first published by Rabbi Brant Rosen via his liturgy blog, Yedid Nefesh (8 March 2021). He writes, “In composing this new Birkat Hamazon/Blessing After the Meal, I maintained the essential structure of the traditional prayer, which consists of four basic spiritual themes or categories. As with the other new liturgies that I’ve written, I seek here to compose Jewish prayers that express a Diasporist ethic; that is to say, liturgy that views the entire world as our “homeland” and resists the influence of modern political Zionism, which has become so thoroughly enmeshed in contemporary Jewish liturgy.” . . . 📖 סִדּוּר בִּרְכַּת שָׁלוֹם | Siddur Birkat Shalom, an egalitarian Shabbat morning siddur (Havurat Shalom 1991/2021) Contributor(s):סִדּוּר בִּרְכַּת שָׁלוֹם Siddur Birkat Shalom (second edition, 2021) is the shabbat morning prayerbook of Havurat Shalom in Sommerville, Massachusetts. As explained in the Introduction to the first edition (1991), work on the egalitarian siddur began in 1984 by eight members of the ḥavurah. The first edition was dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Simcha Dov Kling (1922-1991). The second edition of Siddur Birkat Shalom is dedicated to the memory of Reena Kling (1954-2017). . . . Contributor(s):Richard Collis’s English translation of Aleinu with Al Kein and Al Tira is provided in the liner notes for tracks 61 and 62 of his album We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers (2019). . . . Contributor(s):This Simḥat Brit was prepared by David Zvi Kalman and circulated via a public post on Facebook on 9 July 2018. . . . Kavvanah before eating or drinking on Yom Kippur for military personnel on active service (IDF 2017) Contributor(s):This is a kavvanah (intention) distributed beginning in 2017 for Jewish soldiers on active service during Yom Kippur to use before eating or drinking a limited amount of nourishment in order to sustain their attention and readiness. The text of the prayer here is that which was distributed by Rabbi Captain Udi Schwartz, head of the chief rabbi for Tsahal (IDF), and published by Arutz 7. The kavvanah is derived from one published in 1983 by Rav Yitschok Zilberstein for those who, due to their state of health, must eat or drink in order to live (find Toras haYoledes (1983), chapter 52, section 10, p. 357; pp. 331-332 in the bilingual edition 1989). That kavvanah, according to Rabbi Zilberstein was, “הועתק ממחזור עתיק” (“copied from an old maḥzor”). . . . מִי שֶׁעָנָה לָאִמָּהוֹת | Mi she-Anah la-Imahot (He who answered the foremothers), by Dr. Yael Levine (2017) Contributor(s):The Hebrew for “מִי שֶׁעָנָה לָאִמָּהוֹת” by Yael Levine was first published, with an introduction and a commentary, in September 2017, at kipa.co.il. The English translation for “Mi She-Anna La-Imahot,” by Yael Levine was made in 2018. . . . הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה | Prayer in honour of the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ, by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the UK & the Commonwealth 2016) Contributor(s):This “Prayer in honour of the Queen’s 90th birthday,” was first delivered by Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis for the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth on Shabbat 11th June 2016, and shared via their website in English. Side-by-side with the English we have set the Hebrew text from the formula of the traditional prayer “haNoten Teshua” as used by the Office of the Chief Rabbi as amended in 2014. . . . תְּפִלָּה לְחֵיְילוֹת אַרְצוֹת הַבְּרִית | Prayer for the Safety of the United States Armed Forces (2014) Contributor(s):This “Prayer for the Safety of the American Military Forces” by an unknown author was first shared on the website of the Orthodox Union on 5 February 2014 with the note, “The RCA and the OU have circulated a special prayer to be said in synagogues during Shabbat services in support of our armed services courageously waging the battle against the scourge of global terrorism.” . . . Contributor(s):In 2014, the formula of “haNoten Teshua” suggested by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth, was amended by the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, to include a short passage in recognition of the United Kingdom’s armed forces. . . . ברכת יוצר האדם לכבוד יום זכויות האדם ולכל יום | A Blessing for International Human Rights Day (and every day), by Rabbi Oded Mazor (2012) Contributor(s):This is a blessing which I originally wrote while working at the Leo Baeck Education Center, Haifa, for the International Human Rights day, December 10, 2012. It is based on the 4th of the Seven Blessings in the Jewish wedding ceremony, with additional quotes from our tradition. This blessing is included in Tfilat HaAdam prayer book, 2021. . . . 📖 כוכב ירוק הגדה של פסח | Verda Stelo Hagado de Pesaĥo, a Passover seder haggadah in Esperanto by Erin Piateski (2010) Contributor(s):A haggadah for the Pesaḥ seder with an Esperanto translation. . . . Contributor(s):The logo of the Open Siddur Project, as derived from the “color wheel” of the Bauhaus artist Johannes Itten (1961). . . . Contributor(s):“Orah hee” was composed by Rabbi Jill Hammer in 2008 and first published at Tel Shemesh in romanized Hebrew and English translation. . . . מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ לְהַתָּרַת עֲגוּנוֹת וּמְסֹרְבוֹת גֵּט | Mi she’Berakh for the Release of Agunot and Women Denied a Writ of Divorce, by Dr. Yael Levine (2006) Contributor(s):“Mi she-Berakh Prayer for Agunot and Women who are Denied a Writ of Divorce (mesorvot get)” was written by Dr. Yael Levine in the summer of 2006 and first published in the journal De’ot in advance of Purim 2007. The Hebrew version of the prayer was subsequently reprinted in the monumental Sefer ha-Shabbat, edited by Yonadav Kaploun and issued by Yediot Aharonot in 2011 (p. 260). The English translation was first published in The Jerusalem Post 16 March 2016 (Comment & Features), p. 13. The Hebrew annotation of the sources appeared already in the initial article in De’ot, and was subsequently published, inter alia, in an article published on kipa.co.il on 13 March 2019. . . . Contributor(s):This “Meditation before Yom Kippur for One who Cannot Fast” (2005) was written by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub, LCSW, Rabbinic Director, National Center for Jewish Healing. It appears in הַרְחֶב פִּֽיךָ וַאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ Open Your Mouth Wide, and I (God) Will Fill It: Prayers and Rituals for those who need to eat on Yom Kippur (2022), p. 11. . . . Prayer for Peace in Israel, by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the UK & the Commonwealth, 2003) Contributor(s):According to the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust (RSLT), “A Prayer for Peace in Israel” was composed by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks following terror attacks in Israel in 2003 (i.e., during the Second Intifada). The text of the prayer appearing here was shared by the RSLT via their Facebook page in the context of the 2022 Tel Aviv Shooting. . . . תְּפִלָּה עַל בְּנוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁנִּרְצְחוּ בִידֵי בְּנֵי זוּגָן | A Prayer Concerning Jewish Women who have been Murdered by their Partners, by Dr. Yael Levine (2001) Contributor(s):“Prayer Concerning Jewish Women murdered by their Partners” by Yael Levine was originally composed in 2001 and published in collections of prayers and elsewhere. The English translation, by the author, was first prepared in 2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Barry Tabachnikoff on 24 April 1990 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 24 April 1990. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 1 February 1990. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn on 13 September 1989 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 13 September 1989. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 14 July 1989. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 13 June 1989. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 11 April 1989. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 29 September 1988. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Laszlo Berkowits on 14 June 1988 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 14 June 1988. . . . Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 17 May 1988. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt on 25 May 1988 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 25 May 1988. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom on 4 May 1988 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 4 May 1988. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer on 20 April 1988 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 20 April 1988. . . . |
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“Avinu Malkeinu,” dvar tefillah by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid.org)
The words of Avinu Malkeinu are a little different from the standard translation. It doesn’t say in Hebrew, “we have no good deeds” (ein lanu ma’asim tovim), but rather, “there are no deeds in us” (ein banu ma’asim). The p’shat (literal meaning) implies that whatever we have done in the past does not have to live inside of us — we can release our deeds and be released from them, fully, to start over, like a newborn, to become whoever we need to become. . . .