עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ | An Alternative Aleinu, by Aliza Arzt (Ḥavurat Shalom 1987, revised 2019)

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the Ḥavurat Shalom Siddur Project and Aliza Arzt

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3 February 2021 under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International free-culture license

Categories:

Aleinu

Tags:

20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., עלינו Aleinu, על כן נקוה al ken n'qaveh

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
‫עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ לְאֶֽדֶן הַכֹּל, ‬ ‫לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית, ‬ ‫שֶׁנָֽתַן לָֽנוּ תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת, ‬ ‫וְחַיֵי עוֹלָם נָטַע בְּתוֹכֵֽינוּ. ‬ ‫שֶׁהֵקִים לְכֻלָּֽנוּ חֵֽלֶק מְיוּחָד, ‬ ‫וְקָבַע גוֹרָלֵֽנוּ עִם כָּל הָאוּמוֹת. ‬ ‫וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוֹות וּמוֹדִים ‬ ‫לִפְנֵי מוֹרֵֽנוּ מְקוֹר הַחַיִּים, ‬ ‫שִׂמְחַת לִבֵּֽנוּ, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.‬	‪It is for us to praise the Essence of all things, ‬ ‪to honor the Hand of creation ‬ ‪who gave us a Torah of truth, ‬ ‪planting among us eternal life. ‬ ‪Who has given us each a unique portion, ‬ ‪setting our place with all the nations.‬ ‪So we bend and bow, acknowledge and give thanks before our Teacher, Source of life,‬ ‪Joy of our hearts, the Holy One of blessing.‬
‫שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַֽיִם וְיֹסֵֽד אָֽרֶץ, ‬ ‫הַפּוֹרֵשׂ כְּנָפָיו עָלֵֽינוּ וּמֵינִיקֵֽנוּ בְּחַסְדוֹ. ‬ ‫הוּא אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, אֵין עוֹד. ‬ ‫אָֽנוּ יַקִירָיו נַפְשֵֽׁנוּ צָמְאָה לוֹ. ‬ ‫כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ׃ וְיָדַעְתָּֽ הַיּוֹם וְהֲשֵׁבֹתָֽ אֶל־לְבָבֶֽךָ, ‬ ‫כִּי יְיָ הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל וְעַל הָאָֽרֶץ מִתָּֽחַת, אֵין עוֹד.‬ (דברים ד:לט)	‪Who extends the heavens and establishes the earth, ‬ ‪who spreads wings over us, nourishing us with lovingkindness. ‬ ‪This is our God, entirely; ‬ ‪we are Your beloved; our hearts thirst for You, ‬ ‪as it is written in Your Torah: This day you will know that God alone abides in the heavens above and on the earth below without end.‬ (Deuteronomy 4:39)
‫וְעַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לָךְ, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, ‬ ‫לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזֵּךְ, ‬ ‫לְהַעֲבִיר כָּזָב מִן הָאָֽרֶץ וֶאֱלִילוּת מְהֵרָה תִּכָּרֵת, ‬ ‫לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּשָׁלוֹם וְרֵעוּת, ‬ ‫וּמָלְאָה הָאָֽרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת־יְיָ ‬ ‫כַּמַּֽיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים.‬ (ישעיה יא:ט) ‫ ◁ כִּי עִמָךְ מְקוֹר חַיִּים, בְּאוֹרֵךְ נִרְאֶה אוֹר. ‬ ‫וְנֶאֱמַר׃ דׇבְקָה נַפְשִׁי אֲחַרַֽיִךְ, בִּי תׇּמְכָה יְמִינֵךְ׃‬ (תהלים סג:ט)	‪Therefore, we hope, our God, ‬ ‪to witness soon Your wondrous strength, ‬ ‪to remove falsehood from the earth and to transcend idolatry, ‬ ‪to rebuild the earth in peace and fellowship, ‬ ‪so the world will be filled with the knowledge of God ‬ ‪as water fills the sea.^[1] Isaiah 11:9. Cf. Habakkuk 2:14, etc. ‬ ‪▷ For with You is the source of life; in Your light we see light. ‬ ‪As it is said: My heart cleaves to You; Your right hand supports me.‬ (Psalms 63:9)

This is Havurat Shalom’s adapted liturgy version of the traditional Alenu prayer first adapted in 1987 and revised in 2019. I wrote the original prayer and translation which was then edited by the Siddur committee. –Aliza Arzt

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Isaiah 11:9. Cf. Habakkuk 2:14, etc.

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“עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ | An Alternative Aleinu, by Aliza Arzt (Ḥavurat Shalom 1987, revised 2019)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

the Ḥavurat Shalom Siddur Project

Ḥavurat Shalom is a small egalitarian ḥavurah in Somerville, Massachusetts. Founded in 1968, it is not affiliated with the major Jewish denominations. Ḥavurat Shalom was the first countercultural Jewish community and set the precedent for the national ḥavurah movement. Founded in 1968, it was also significant in the development of the Jewish renewal movement and Jewish feminism. Originally intended to be an "alternative seminary", instead it evolved into a "model ḥavurah." Founders and members of Ḥavurat Shalom have included Edward Feld, Merle Feld, Michael Fishbane, Everett Gendler, Arthur Green, Barry Holtz, Gershon Hundert, James Kugel, Alfred A. Marcus, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Jim Sleeper, Michael Strassfeld, and Arthur Waskow. Historian Jonathan Sarna has noted that among these members were "the people who would be leading figures in Jewish life in the second half of the 20th century.”

Aliza Arzt

Aliza Arzt is a Jewish educator and a member of Havurat Shalom in Somerville MA. She was liturgist in residence at the National Havurah Committee (NHC) in 2016. She is particularly interested in Hebrew and what we can learn from Hebrew words in the Tanakh and in tefilot (prayers). In her other incarnations, she is a home care speech therapist, potter, parent of young adults, and gecko keeper.

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Works of related interest:

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עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ | Aleinu, translation by Richard Collis (2019)

עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ | Aleinu, as adapted with translation by Dr. Jakob Petuchowski (1966)

עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ | Aleinu, interpretive translation by Joshua Gutoff

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עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ | Aleinu, a paraliturgical reflection by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman

עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Aleinu, translated by Rabbi David de Sola Pool (1937)

עלינו | An Alternative Opening for Aleinu, by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid.org)

עלינו | An Alternative Opening for Aleinu, by Leon Gunther

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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