Am eigenen Geburtstage | On one’s own Birthday, by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Aharon N. Varady (translation) and Benjamin Szold

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3 May 2023 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Bnei (Bar/Bat) Mitsvah & Other Birthday Prayers

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Teḥinot in German, German vernacular prayer, 19th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., children's prayers

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Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am eigenen Geburtstage.	On one’s own birthday.
Mein Gott, durch Deine Gnade bin und lebe ich! Du ließest mich den für mich so wichtigen Tag heute wieder erreichen, an welchem ich zum ersten Mal das Licht ver Welt erblickte, Du hast seit dem Tage meiner Geburt väterlich mich bewahrt! Aus Deiner Hand empfing ich das köstliche Geschenk guter Eltern und treuer Lehrer, die mich leiblich und geistig versorgen.	My God, by your grace I am and live! You let me reach the day so important for me today, on which I first saw the light of the world; You have fatherly preserved me since the day of my birth! From your hand I received the delicious gift of good parents and faithful teachers who care for me physically and spiritually.
Darum ist mein Gemüth heute besonders von innigem Danke gegen Dich, meinen Schöpfer, erfüllt! Meine Seele preiset Dich und all’ mein Inneres Deinen heiligen Namen!	Therefore, today my mind is especially filled with heartfelt thanks to you, my Creator! My soul praises you and all my inner being praises your holy name!
Ich bitte Dich aber, lieber himmlischer Vater, stehe mir auch künftig bei! Erhalte mir meine lieben Eltern und Lehrer gesund und schenke auch mir eine dauerhafte Gesundheit! Ist es Dein heiliger Wille, daß ich diesen Tag noch recht oft erlebe, so gib, daß ich dann immer weiser, besser und Dir wohlgefälliger sein möge. Amen.	But I ask you, dear heavenly Father, to help me also in the future! Keep healthy my dear parents and teachers and give me also a lasting health! If it is your holy will that I may live to see this day many more times, grant that I may then be ever wiser, better and more pleasing to you. Amen.

“[Gebete] Am eigenen Geburtstage” was written by Rabbi Benjamin Szold and included in his הגיון לב Israelitisches Gebetbuch für die häusliche Andacht (1867), page 253.

We welcome corrections and improvements. The transcription of the German from Latin script in Fraktur type provided machine-readable text for a machine translation by DeepL, which we then edited for accuracy and clarity. –Aharon Varady

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“Am eigenen Geburtstage | On one’s own Birthday, by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft 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.)

Aharon N. Varady (translation)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer translator for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his translations, 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 transcribes prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes for the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Benjamin Szold

Benjamin Szold (November 15, 1829 in Nemeskürt, Nyitra County, Kingdom of Hungary, (today Slovakia) – July 31, 1902 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia) was an American rabbi and scholar. Szold studied under Rabbis Jacob Fischer of Shalgaw, Wolf Kollin of Werbau, and Benjamin Wolf at the Pressburg Yeshiva, and received the rabbinical authorization from Judah Assod of Bur and Simon Sidon of Tyrnau. In 1848, he studied in Vienna, but when the revolution of that year broke out he went to Pressburg. From 1849 to 1855 he tutored in private families in Hungary, and in the latter year entered the University of Breslau, where he remained until 1858. While a student he officiated during the holy days at Brieg, Silesia (1857), and at Stockholm, Sweden (1858). In 1859, he accepted a call from the Temple Oheb Shalom (Baltimore, Maryland) in whose service he remained until his death, first as rabbi and later (after 1892) as rabbi emeritus. Under his guidance it grew rapidly, and, actuated by his example, it became widely known for its strict observance of Shabbat. Before Szold's arrival the congregation had adopted for use in its Shabbat service the Minhag America, (which was the new prayer-book written by Isaac Meyer Wise, a Reform rabbi) on the great fall holy days it reverted to the Minhag Ashkenaz; after much discussion with his congregation Szold introduced a new prayer-book, Abodat Yisrael, which closely followed traditional lines.

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Works of related interest:

Am Geburtstage der Mutter (Benjamin Szold 1867) - cropped

Am Geburtstage der Mutter | On one’s Mother’s Birthday, by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)

Am Geburtstage des Lehrers (Benjamin Szold 1867) - cropped

Am Geburtstage des Lehrers | On one’s Teacher’s Birthday, by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)

Am Geburtsfeste des Vaters (Benjamin Szold 1867) - cropped

Am Geburtsfeste des Vaters | On one’s Father’s Birthday, by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)

📖 הֶגְיוֹן לֵב | Hegyon Lev (Meditations of the Heart): Israelitisches Gebetbuch für die häusliche Andacht, arranged by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (1867)

Am Geburtstage (Peter Beer 1815, Henry Frank 1839) - cropped

[Gebet] Am Geburtstage | Prayer on a Birthday, a teḥinah by Pereẓ Beer (1815)

Hegyon Lev: Israelitisches Gebetbuch für die häusliche Andacht (Benjamin Szold and Marcus Jastrow 1875) - title

📖 הֶגְיוֹן לֵב | Hegyon Lev (Meditations of the Heart): Israelitisches Gebetbuch für die häusliche Andacht, arranged by Rabbi Benjamin Szold (revised by Rabbi Marcus Jastrow 1875)

📖 Songs and Prayers and Meditations for Divine Services of Israelites, arranged by Rabbi Benjamin Szold and translated by Rabbi Marcus Jastrow (1873)

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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