תפלה לשליח ציבור | Hineni: The Prayer of the Shaliaḥ Tsibur, interpretive translation by Rabbi Oren Steinitz

Contributor(s):

Oren Steinitz and Unknown Author(s)

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28 August 2020 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Rosh haShanah (l’Maaseh Bereshit), Yom Kippur

Tags:

Prayers of the Ḥazzan, הנני hineni, רשות reshut, interpretive translation, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Musaf Rosh Hashanah

Hineni – the leader’s prayer that opens the High Holy Days Mussaf has always been a challenge for me. While a dramatic moment in the service, it always seemed a little *too* grand to represent a prayer of humility. This is a version of it I wrote in an attempt to make myself more comfortable at that moment. –Rabbi Oren Steinitz

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Source (Hebrew)	Interpretive Translation (English)
הִנְנִי הֶעָנִי מִמַּעַשׂ נִרְעַשׁ וְנִפְחַד מִפַּחַד יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאתִי לַעֲמֹד וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנֶיךָ עַל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוּנִי וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינִי כְדַאי וְהָגוּן לְכַךְ	Here I am, poor in deeds, trembling in fear in front of the Holy One of Israel. I came here before You to plead on behalf of Your people, who sent me, although I am hardly worthy of the task.
לָכֵן אֲבַקֵּשׁ מִמְּךָ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה ה׳ ה׳ אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שַׁדַּי אָיֹם וְנוֹרָא הֱיֵה נָא מַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְעוֹמֵד לְבַקֵּשׁ רַחֲמִים עָלַי וְעַל שׁוֹלְחַי	Therefore, I shall ask You, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, Please, make my assignment successful, as I stand here, seeking compassion for myself and for all those who sent me.
וְנָא אַל תַּפְשִׁיעֵם בְּחַטֹּאתַי וְאַל תְּחַיְּבֵם בַּעֲווֹנוֹתַי כִּי חוֹטֵא וּפוֹשֵׁעַ אָנִי וְאַל יִכָּלְמוּ בִפְשָׁעַי וְאַל יֵבוֹשׁוּ בִי וְאַל אֵבוֹשׁ בָּם וְקַבֵּל תְּפִלָּתִי כִּתְפִלַּת זָקֵן וְרָגִיל וּפִרְקוֹ נָאֶה וּזְקָנוֹ מְגֻדָּל וְקוֹלוֹ נָעִים וּמְעוּרָב בְּדַעַת עִם הַבְּרִיּוֹת וְתִגְעַר בְּשָׂטָן לְבַל יַשְׂטִינֵנִי	Please, do not condemn them for my faults, or me for theirs. Accept my prayer as if it came from one blessed with a pleasant voice and a pleasant temper.
וִיהִי נָא דִגְלֵנוּ (נ״א דִּלּוּגֵנוּ) עָלֶיךָ אַהֲבָה וּפְשָׁעֵינוּ תְּכַסֶּה בְּאַהֲבָה וְכָל צָרוֹת וְרָעוֹת הֲפָךְ נָא לָנוּ וּלְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשָׂשֹוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה לְחַיִּים וּלְשָׁלוֹם וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַשָּׁלוֹם אֱהָבוּ וְאַל יְהִי שׁוּם מִכְשׁוֹל בִּתְפִלָּתִי	Please, turn our troubles and turmoil into gladness and joy.
וִיהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב הָאֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא אֵל עֶלְיוֹן אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה שֶׁכָּל הַמַּלְאָכִים שֶׁהֵם פּוֹעֲלֵי תְפִלּוֹת יָבִיאוּ תְפִלָּתִי לִפְנֵי כִסֵּא כְבוֹדֶךָ וְיָפִיצוּ אוֹתָהּ לְפָנֶיךָ בַּעֲבוּר כָּל הַצַּדִּיקִים וְהַחֲסִידִים וְהַתְּמִימִים וְהַיְשָׁרִים וּבַעֲבוּר כְּבוֹד שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא כִּי אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלַּת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּרַחֲמִים בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה	For it is You who mercifully listen to Your people’s prayer. We praise You, the One who hears our prayers.

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“תפלה לשליח ציבור | Hineni: The Prayer of the Shaliaḥ Tsibur, interpretive translation by Rabbi Oren Steinitz” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Oren Steinitz

Rabbi Dr. Oren Z. Steinitz is the spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Ami in Elmira, NY. He was ordained in 2014 at the Mesifta Adas Wolkowisk Rabbinical Academy, and is a member of OHALAH Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal. The same year he completed his doctorate at the University of Calgary‘s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (Religious Studies, Communications and Israel Studies), researching the attitude towards the “Other” in Jewish and Islamic legal websites. Rabbi Oren holds BA and MA degrees from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev (Israel). His fields of expertise include the history of Jewish-Muslim relations; modern Jewish fundamentalism; Jewish and Islamic Law; and the religious online world.Before assuming his current position, Rabbi Oren served for five years as the University of Calgary’s Jewish Chaplain, taught at Mount Royal University in Calgary, and worked for the Masorti Movement in Israel.

Unknown Author(s)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17