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Almighty Father,—
Thou hast given us the Sabbath
in order that we may rest
after the hard work of the week,
and also that we should have more time
to engage in holy thought
and in sincere thanksgiving.
After pouring out my heart to Thee,
I am raised above my surroundings,
my difficulties seem to disappear,
and I am ready to begin again my work
with new courage,
new hope,
and new faith.
O Lord,
let me keep Thy Sabbath
in a manner pleasing unto Thee!
Let me not think of the work I am losing,
or of the sacrifices I am making.
Thou hast given us the Sabbath for our good.
Without it, we might lose our separateness,
and our mission would be taken away from us.
O Lord,
make my mind more pure,
more steadfast,
more earnest,
that no worldly thoughts may come
to disturb my Sabbath rest.
Almighty God,
help me to do my duty during the coming week.
Preserve me from temptation and sin;
attach me to virtue and godliness,
and bring me nearer unto Thee!
With my whole heart have I sought Thee;
O let me not wander from Thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in my heart,
that I might not sin against Thee. (Psalms 119:10-11)
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 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 naqeniשְׁגִיאוֹת 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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