Prayer Before a Battle (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire 1940)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Joseph Herman Hertz and Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth

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20 June 2022 under the Public Domain (Compendium II: Copyright Office Practices, § 206.01. Edicts of government)

Categories:

Military Personnel & Veterans

Tags:

English vernacular prayer, World War Ⅱ, 20th century C.E., military, 58th century A.M., British Jewry

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
	Prayer Before a Battle.
אָבִֽינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַֽיִם. עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנְךָ בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל. וְתֵן נַֽחַת רֽוּחַ לֽירֵאֶֽיךָ מִתָּֽחַת. וְהַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ עֲשֵׂה. (ברכות כט ב׳)	Our Heavenly Father. Carry out your will in the heavens above, and give peace of mind to those who fear you below, and perform that which is good in your eyes. (Berakhot 29b.11)
	Unto thee, Heavenly Father, I lift up my heart in this hour of trial and danger. Pardon all my sins and transgressions before thee; and, I beseech thee, extend thy loving care over the lives of those near and dear unto me. Give me the strength to do my duty this day as a true and loyal Israelite in this War for Freedom and Righteousness. Fill me with the faith and courage of those who put their trust in thine everlasting mercy; and lead us through victory unto peace. May thy will be done.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ שׁוֹמֵֽעַ תְּפִלָּה׃	Blessed art thou, O Lord, Who hearest prayer.
בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי. פָּדִֽיתָה אֹתִי יְיָ אֵל אֱמֶת׃	Into thy hand I commend my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְיָ אֶחָד׃ בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃	Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Blessed be his name, whose glorious kingdom is for ever and ever.
אָמֵן׃	Amen.

“Prayer Before a Battle” appears at the start of Prayer Book of Jewish Members of H.M. Forces (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1940), p. 5. It was likely authored by either Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz or Rabbi Dayan Mark Gollop. If you know for certain, please leave a comment or contact us. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Prayer Before a Battle (Office of the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire 1940)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Aharon N. Varady (editing/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.)

Joseph Herman Hertz

Joseph Herman Hertz (25 September 1872 – 14 January 1946) was a Jewish Hungarian-born rabbi and biblical scholar. He is most notable for holding the position of Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1913 until his death in 1946, in a period encompassing both world wars and the Holocaust. Hertz edited a notable commentary on the Torah (1929–36, one volume edition 1937). Popularly known as the Hertz Chumash, this classic Hebrew-English edition of the Five Books of Moses, with corresponding Haftorahs, is used in synagogues and classrooms throughout the English-speaking world. He also edited a Hebrew-English edition of the Jewish Prayer Book or Siddur (1946), and contributed to the Jewish Encyclopedia and the Encyclopædia Britannica.

Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth

The Office of the Chief Rabbi is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth and is the senior rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations. The present incumbent is Ephraim Mirvis who leads the Office of the Chief Rabbi (OCR).

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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