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| Source (French) | Source (Italian) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|
Le chef du Sanhédrin a fait lire le Discours français suivant de sa composition, par M. Avigdor: |
Il capo del Sinedrio ha fatto leggere il discorso francese seguente, di sua composizione, dal sig. Avigdor. |
The head of the Sanhedrin had the following French speech of his composition read by Mr. Avigdor:[1] Isaac Samuel Avigdor (1773-1850), secretary of the Assembly of Notables. Avigdor represented the department of the “Maritime Alps,” (i.e., Northern Italy) for the Sanhedrin and translated discourse in French and German into Italian. |
Docteurs de la loi et notables d’Israël, glorifiez le Seigneur! |
Dottori della legge e notabili d’Israello, glorificate il Signore! |
Doctors of the Law and nobles of Israel, glorify the Lord! |
L’arche sainte, battue par des siècles de tempêtes, cesse enfin d’être agitée. |
L’arca santa, battuta da molti secoli di tempeste, cessa infine di essere agitata. |
The holy ark, battered by centuries of storms, finally ceases to be agitated. |
L’élu du Seigneur a conjuré l’orage, l’arclie est dans le port. |
L’eletto del Signore ha scongiurata la procella, l’arca è nel porto. |
The chosen one of the Lord has averted the storm, the ark is in the harbor. |
O Israël, sèche tes larmes, ton Dieu a jeté un regard sur toi. Touché de ta misère, il vient renouveler son alliance. |
O Israello, asciuga le tue lagrime, il tuo Dio ha gettato un guardo sopra di te. Commosso dalla tua miseria, ei vione a rinnovare la sua alleanza. |
O Israel, dry your tears, your God has looked upon you. Touched by your misery, he comes to renew his covenant. |
Grâces soient rendues au libérateur du peuple de Dieu! |
Grazie sieno rese al Liberatore del popolo di Dio. |
Thanks be to the liberator of the people of God! |
Grâces soient rendues au Héros à jamais célèbre qui enchaîne les passions humaines, de même qu’il confond l’orgueil des nations. |
Grazie sieno rese all’Eroe eternamente celebre, che incatena le umane passioni, come confonde l’orgoglio delle nazioni. |
Thanks be to the ever-famous Hero who shackles human passions, just as he confounds the pride of the nations. |
Il élève les humbles, il humilie les superbes; image sensible de la Divinité, qui se plaît à confondre la vanité des hommes. |
Egli innalza gli umili, i superbi umilia; immagine sensibile della Divinità, la quale si compiace di confondere la vanità degli uomini. |
He exalts the humble and humbles the proud; a sensitive image of the Divinity, who delights in confounding the vanity of men. |
Ministre de la justice éternelle, tous les hommes sont égaux devant lui; leurs droits sont immuables. |
Ministro dell’ eterna giustizia, tutti gli uomini sono eguali innanzi a lui; i loro diritti sono immutabili. |
As the minister of eternal justice, all men are equal before him; their rights are immutable. |
Docteurs et notables d’Israël, c’est à ce principe sacré pour ce Grand Homme que vous devez le bonheur d’être réunis en assemblée pour discuter les intérêts d’Israël. |
Dottori e notabili d’Israello, è a questo principio, sacro per quest’Uomo Grande, che voi dovete la felicità di essere riuniti in assemblea per discutere gl’interessi d’Israele. |
Doctors and notables of Israel, it is to this principle, sacred to this Great Man, that you owe the happiness of being gathered together to discuss the interests of Israel. |
C’est, grâces à la clémence du Premier Monarque de l’univers, que nous voyons aujourd’hui, par une faveur particulière, succéder à cette assemblée un tribunal plus imposant encore, sous la dénomination de grand Sanhédrin. |
Si è mercè la clemenza del primo Monarca dell’ universo, che noi vediamo oggigiorno, per un favore particolare, succedere a quest’ assemblea un tribunale ancora più imponente sotto la denominazione di gran Sinedrio. |
It is thanks to the clemency of the First Monarch of the universe that we see today, by a special favor, that this assembly is succeeded by a still more imposing tribunal, under the name of the Great Sanhedrin. |
En fixant mes regards sur ce conseil suprême, mon imagination franchit des milliers de siècles. Je me transporte au temps de son institution, et mon cœur ne peut se défendre dune certaine émotion que vous partagez sans doute avec moi. |
Fissando i miei sguardi su questo supremo consiglio, la mia immaginazione scorre veloce migliaja di secoli. Io rimonto al tempo della sua istituzione, ed il mìo cuore non può difendersi da una certa commozione che voi certamente dividete con me. |
By fixing my eyes on this supreme council, my imagination crosses thousands of centuries. I am transported to the time of its institution, and my heart cannot help but feel a certain emotion which you undoubtedly share with me. |
Docteurs et notables d’Israël, froissés encore des chocs de la plus cruelle intolérance, qui de nous aurait cru voir succéder un tel privilège à tant de malheurs, et quel moyen de s’acquitter envers le grand homme qui vient de l’opérer? |
Dottori e notabili d’Israello, contusi ancora dagli effetti della più crudele intolleranza, chi di noi avrebbe creduto di vedere succedere un tale privilegio a tante disgrazie, e qual mezzo di corrispondere all’Uomo Grande che l’ha operata? |
Doctors and notables of Israel, still crushed by the shocks of the cruelest intolerance, who among us would have thought to see such a privilege succeeding so many misfortunes, and what means of fulfilling ourselves towards the great man who has just carried it out? |
La tâche est grande sans doute et bien audessus de nos facultés; mais le bon esprit qui nous dirigera dans nos discussions, la sagesse qui présidera à nos décisions, lui prouveront du moins notre bonne volonté, en lui montrant nos cœurs à découvert. |
Grande è senza dubbio l’opera e superiore dì molto alle nostre facoltà, ma la buona volontà che ci dirigerà nelle nostre discussioni, la saviezza che presiederà alle nostre decisioni gli proveranno almeno la buona nostra intenzione, mostrandogli apertamente i nostri cuori. |
The task is undoubtedly great and far beyond our faculties; but the good spirit which will direct us in our discussions, the wisdom which will preside over our decisions, will at least prove to him our good will, by showing him our hearts. |
Placés entre les lois divines et humaines , nous veillerons à la pureté des unes et à l’observation des autres. |
Collocati tra le divine ed umane leggi, noi sopravveglieremo alla purità delle une ed all’osservanza delle altre. |
Placed between the divine and human laws, we will watch over the purity of the one and the observance of the other. |
Pleins de confiance en la miséricorde du Dieu d’Israël, nous nous rendrons dignes de la puissante protection de notre Souverain, et de la confiance de tous nos coreligionnaires, qui ont sans cesse les yeux fixés sur nous. |
Pieni di confidenza nella misericordia del Dio d’Israele, noi ci renderemo degni della possente protezione del nostro Sovrano e della confidenza di tutti i nostri correligionarj che tengono continuamente gli occhi fissi sopra di noi. |
Full of confidence in the mercy of the God of Israel, we will make ourselves worthy of the powerful protection of our Sovereign, and of the confidence of all our co-religionists, whose eyes are constantly fixed on us. |
Docteurs et notables d’Israël, je m’humilie devant mon Dieu, je m’humilie devant les hommes, lorsque je pense à l’énormité du fardeau qui m’accable: j’avoue mon insuffisance, j’avoue la faiblesse de mes talens. |
Dottori e notabili d’Israello, io mi umilio innanzi al mio Dio , io mi umilio innanzi gli uomini allorchè io rifletto all’enormità del peso che mi opprime: io confesso la mia insufficienza, io confesso la debolezza de’ miei talenti. |
Doctors and eminent men of Israel, I humble myself before my God, I humble myself before men, when I think of the enormity of the burden which weighs upon me: I confess my insufficiency, I confess the weakness of my talents. |
Une faveur toute particulière du Tres-Haut peut seule me soutenir au bout de ma carrière; aussi le supplié-je instamment de me diriger et de m’inspirer dans le cours de nos travaux, afin de ne pas nous égarer dans la voie du salut: je me sens fort de vos lumières, et votre indulgence me rassure. |
Un favore tutto particolare dell’Altissimo può solo sostenermi fino alla meta della mia carriera; epperò io lo supplico istantemente di dirigermi e d’inspirarmi nel corso de’nostri travagli, affine di non smarrirci nella via della salute: io mi sento forte de’vostri lumi, e la vostra indulgenza mi assicura. |
Only a special favor from the Most High can sustain me at the end of my career; so I beg him to direct me and inspire me in the course of our work, so that we do not go astray in the way of salvation. I feel strong in your light, and your indulgence reassures me. |
Avec des intentions pures, des coeurs droits, le désir d’opérer le bien, nous ne pourrons qu’être agréables à Dieu et au Héros qui vient de briser nos fers. |
Con pure intenzioni, con cuori retti, con desiderio di operare il bene, noi non potremo non essere accetti a Dio ed all’ Eroe che noti a guari ha spezzati i nostri ferri. |
With pure intentions, upright hearts, and the desire to do good, we can only be pleasing to God and to the Hero who has just broken our chains. |
Docteurs et notables d’Israël, veillez et priez: vous allez fixer le sort d’une nation trop long-temps avilie; implorez les lumières de l’Eternel, et pour vous et pour moi demandez-lui sa sainte bénédiction. Amen. |
Dottori e notabili d’Israello, vegliate e pregate: voi siete per fissare la sorte di una nazione troppo lungo tempo avvilita; imploratene i lumi dall’Eterno, e domandategli per voi e per me la sua santa benedizione. Amen. |
Doctors and eminent men of Israel, watch and pray: you are going to fix the fate of a nation that has been degraded for too long; implore the light of the Lord, and for you and for me ask his holy blessing. Amen. |
A prayer offered at the inaugural session of the Grand Sanhedrin (9 February 1807) by Rabbi David Sinzheim, as found in Italian in Raccolta degli atti dell’assemblea degli Israeliti di Francia e del regno d’Italia (1807), p. 21-23, and in French in Collection des Proces-verbaux er decisions du Grand Sanhedrin (1807), p. 23-25. The Italian text of the prayer was likely translated by Isaac Samuel Avigdor (1773-1850), secretary of the Assembly of Jewish Notables.
We welcome corrections and improvements. The transcription of the French provided machine-readable text for a machine translation by DeepL, which we then edited for accuracy and clarity. –Aharon Varady
Source(s)
Notes
| 1 | Isaac Samuel Avigdor (1773-1850), secretary of the Assembly of Notables. Avigdor represented the department of the “Maritime Alps,” (i.e., Northern Italy) for the Sanhedrin and translated discourse in French and German into Italian. |
|---|
“Prière d’ouverture du le chef du Sanhédrin | Opening prayer of the head of the Grand Sanhedrin, by Rabbi David Sinẓheim (9 February 1807)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Grand Sanhedrin of the Israelites of the French Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, lithograph by Michel François Damane Demartrais (1806)
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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
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