A Prayer for Girls entering Domestic Service, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)

Contributor(s): Lilian Helen Montagu and Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Shared on: 7 May 2023 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories: Labor, Fulfillment, and Parnasah

Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Jewish Women's Prayers, teḥinot in English, תחינות teḥinot, West Central Girls' Club

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	A prayer for girls entering domestic service.
	O Lord,— It is my privilege to be about to undertake some of the highest duties possible to a woman, and it is with a heart full of thanksgiving that I approach Thee to-day. I shall be able to minister to the comfort and wellbeing, of a number of people; by good work I may help to render life more easy for others.
	O Lord, give me strength to do my duty. If I serve my mistress well I feel that I shall be serving Thee. Help me to bear difficulties; grant that I may not be discouraged by a few hard words and slight disappointments. Grant that I may be respectful to those in authority over me; good-tempered and gentle with my fellow-servants.
	Help me to be truthful, honest, and industrious, and then I shall never be ashamed.
	Teach me every night and every morning to remember my duty unto Thee.
	Be Thou with me at all times. Then difficulties will disappear from my path, and I shall rejoice and not be afraid.
	By slothfulness the roof sinketh in, and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. (Ecclesiastes 8:10)
	Uphold me with a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:12)

“A Prayer for Girls entering Domestic Service” was written by Lilian Helen Montagu and published in Prayers for Jewish Working Girls (1895), page 24.

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. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike . 4.0 . International .

“A Prayer for Girls entering Domestic Service, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Lilian Helen Montagu

The Hon. Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE (22 December 1873 – 22 January 1963) was the first woman to play a major role in Progressive Judaism. Until the age of 15, she was educated at Doreck College, and privately educated thereafter. In 1893 she founded with Emily Marion Harris the West Central Jewish Girls Club (which subsequently merged into the Jewish Girls' Brigade). She was active in social improvement, particularly in respect to unemployment, sweat shops and bad housing. In 1901 and 1902, Montagu laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Jewish Religious Union in London. In February 1902 she arranged the first meeting of the Jewish Religious Union for the Advancement of Liberal Judaism at her sister Henrietta Franklin's house. The Union set up the first synagogue in Liberal Judaism in the UK and helped found the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Montagu was a founding member with her sister of the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. She sat on the executive committee and led the meetings in prayer. Following the retirement of Leo Baeck, Montagu served for a brief stint (1955–1959) in her 80s as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, before handing the reins over to Solomon Freehof.

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.)

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=50625

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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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