Meditation on Immortality, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

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Marcus Heinrich Bresslau and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

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27 November 2021 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Jewish Women's Prayers, mortality, Paraliturgical yizkor, תחינות teḥinot, יזכור yizkor

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	When the morning dawns, breaking through its beauteous cover; when with the commencement of Spring the herbs, flowers, and grass, which were deadened by the rough hand of winter, are newly revived; when, in the bright night, a choir of dazzling stars, beckon down from yonder immense heights: thou do I feel that man, whom Thou hast elevated above all things on earth, whose flight of mind oft’ strives upward to the higher constellations, who bears Thy impress —“TRUTH,” and who aspires to follow Thee, Heavenly Creator, is destined to IMMORTALITY.
	If the flower withers in the blast of the storm, if it be prostrated even by the fierce wind of the north, yet when the soft breezes of the Spring are once waving, its portion is to blossom again; and should the sacred blossoms of mankind, in whom the godly spark glows, be exposed to decay, to entire annihilation, after having completed their earthly pilgrimage?— No! when this weary frame slumbers, when we are recalled from hence by Thee, All-merciful, then only dawns for our spirit the sun of a loftier and better life, then only shall we enjoy the purest and sublimest bliss, which cannot be obtained here on earth.
	O Lord, Thou who didst vouchsafe the revival of the dead, grant that the hope of immortality may never leave me; when sorrow and grief press me down, may that hope ever be my comforter, and guide me into the land of eternal peace and life everlasting. Amen.

“Meditation on Immortality” by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau was first published in his תחנות בנות ישראל Devotions for the Daughters of Israel (1852), p. 43.

In his preface to Devotions, Bresslau is clear that his prayers in English were adapted from traditional teḥinot that had earlier been published in France, Germany, and Poland. If you know of a specific prayer that may have served as the basis for this one, please leave a comment or contact us.

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Marcus Heinrich Bresslau

Marcus Heinrich (also Mordecai Ḥayyim/Hyman/Heyman) Bresslau (ca. 1808-15 May 1864) was a Hebraist and newspaper editor. Born in Hamburg, he settled in England when young. For some time from 1834 he was Baal Ḳoreh (reader) at the Western Synagogue. He then taught Hebrew at the Westminster Jews’ Free School and went on to tutor privately. A maskil, he became involved with M. J. Raphall’s Hebrew Review and Magazine of Rabbinical Literature (1834-6). In October 1844 he was appointed editor of the relaunched Jewish Chronicle by proprietor Joseph Mitchell. Prickly and quarrelsome, he resigned in July 1848 but returned in around September. He remained until about October 1850. After Mitchell’s death in June 1854 he became proprietor (his middle name appearing as Heyman) and edited it until February 1855 when new proprietor Abraham Benisch succeeded him. Bresslau, who tried vainly to revive the Hebrew Review, wrote Hebrew poetry, produced a Hebrew grammar and a Hebrew dictionary, and translated various Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. Bresslau compiled (we think) the first compilation of teḥinot in English for women. (Much of this information via Bresslau's entry in The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)

Meditation on Immortality, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

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