Join us in creating a faithful digital transcription of אמרי לב Imrei Lev: Prières D’un Cœur Israélite (second expanded edition, by Rabbi Arnaud Aron & Jonas Ennery, 1853). This collection of prayers served as the basis for English translations by Hester Rothschild and Isaac Leeser.

Collaborative transcription is taking place on French Wikisource. (If you would like to take part in this transcription, please register a user account on Wikisource.)

After transcription and proofreading, this new digital edition will need to be encoded in TEI XML and archived in the Open Siddur database. The edition will be shared under a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) Public Domain dedication.

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Source (French)	Translation (English)
PRÉFACE DE LA PREMIÈRE ÉDITION.	PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
La Société consistoriale pour la propagation des bons livres réalise aujourd’hui sa première œuvre, en offrant aux fidèles un recueil de prières et de méditations religieuses.	This, the first work of the Consistorial Society for the Propagation of Good Books, is realized today in offering a faithful collection of prayers and religious meditations.
En choisissant ce livre pour notre début, nous avons eu à cœur de répondre à un besoin généralement senti, et de remplir une lacune très-grave dans la littérature moderne de notre culte.	In choosing this book for our debut, we meet a general need and fill a very large gap in the modern literature of our worship.
Ce n’est pas que l’idée et la nécessité d’un livre de ce genre soient bien nouvelles parmi nous; les suppliques (תחנות) imprimées, comme appendice, à la fin des anciennes éditions de nos rituels, prouveraient suffisamment le contraire; mais toutes ces prières, expressions fidèles des sentiments pieux de nos ancêtres, sont écrites dans un allemand corrompu, et dont aucune traduction n’existe dans notre langue; elles sont d’ailleurs conçues dans un esprit et formulées dans un style incompatibles avec les exigences de notre époque.	The concept of such a book does not necessitate a new genre among us; the printed supplications (תחנות) appended at the end of old editions of our siddurim sufficiently prove the opposite. However, all these prayers – faithful expressions of pious sentiments of our ancestors – are written in Yiddish[1] Arnaud Aron here uses the term, allemand corrompu, “corrupt German.”   for which no translation exists in our language. They are also composed in a spirit and a form incompatible in style with the needs of our age.
Notre rituel ordinaire ne peut non plus suffire au recueillement individuel: inspiré soit de souvenirs historiques, soit de chants patriotiques, ou de poésies religieuses, il semble n’avoir eu en vue que la prière officielle, (תפלת חובה) ce qui résulte encore du sens collectif de la plupart de ses formules. Or, c’est là le caractère le mieux approprié aux prières destinées au culte public, et, à ce titre, notre rituel peut soutenir dignement la comparaison avec ceux de tous les autres cultes.	Our familiar siddurim cannot provide for individual meditation. Inspired by historic memories, or patriotic songs, or religious poems, the official prayer (תפלת חובה) keeps in mind a collective sense resulting from most of its formulas. Now, such a book is most appropriate for the type of prayers for pubic worship, and, as such, our prayerbooks may worthily bear comparison with those of all other faiths.
Mais, à côté de la prière officielle, il est un besoin non moins divin: c’est celui qu’éprouve l’âme de s’épancher, dans un recueillement intime, devant le maître de nos destinées, de lui offrir le tribut de ses soupirs comme celui de ses joies; de lui exprimer sa gratitude ou ses espérances; c’est ce que nous appelons la prière individuelle. Or, la prière individuelle ne saurait se plier aux formules générales; elle s’inspire d’une situation personnelle et puise ses expressions dans le sentiment. Un livre de prières et de méditations religieuses doit donc être comme une lyre harmonieuse, dont les cordes diverses résonnent sous les variables émotions de l’âme. Il faut qu’il y ait des sons pour la joie et la douleur, pour le bonheur et pour le deuil, pour le convalescent qui se relève, et pour le malade qui s’éteint. C’est à ce besoin que nous essayons de répondre aujourd’hui.	However, alongside the official prayer, it is no less divinely necessary to experience one’s soul’s unburdening through an intimate recollection before the Master of our destiny – to offer Him the tribute of sighs like joys and to express His gratitude and His hopes. This is what we call individual prayer. Yet individual prayer cannot comply with general formulas; prayer inspires a personal situation and draws its expressions in its feeling. A book of prayers and religious meditations should be as a harmonious lyre whose various strings resonate under the various emotions of the soul. There must be melodies for joy and sorrow, for happiness and grief, for the convalescent who rises and the sick man who dies. It is this need that we try to answer today.
Loin de nous la prétention de remplacer le rituel; ce legs des hommes de la grande synagogue sera toujours notre plus beau joyau; mais, placés à un autre point de vue, nous avons cru devoir faire autrement.	Far from us, pretention becomes the ritual. The legacy of the Anshei Knesset haGedolah will always be our most beautiful jewel, but, seen from a different point of view, we felt obliged to do otherwise.
Toutefois ce n’est pas au culte domestique exclusivement que nous vouons ce livre. Nous souhaitons, au contraire, qu’il accompagne les fidèles jusque dans le temple, et qu’il contribue avec nos saintes cérémonies à leur inspirer le recueillement et à les préserver de toute distraction. C’est pourquoi nous avons emprunté au rituel et aux Pioutim quelques morceaux choisis, et affecté un certain nombre de prières aux divers offices du culte public, surtout pour les jours de féte.	However, it is not only exclusively domestic worship for which we dedicate this book. We wish, rather, that it accompany the faithful into the Temple, and that it contributes to our holy ceremonies, inspires their recollection, and preserves them from being neglected. That is why we have borrowed from siddurim and some selected piyyutim, and appropriated a certain number of prayers from various offices of public worship, especially those for festival days.
Nous n’avons que peu de mots à ajouter sur la manière dont nous avons cru pouvoir remplir notre tâche. Nous avons cherché à donner à nos prières une forme simple, claire, dénuée de toute prétention littéraire. La prière étant l’expression la plus intime des rapports de l’homme avec Dieu, perd son caractère de vérité, si, au lieu de jaillir simple et facile, elle s’égare dans l’affectation et les métaphores, Nous avons donc évité avec soin ces tirades déclamatoires, ces ornements lyriques qui, à notre avis, déparent quelques ouvrages de ce genre. Devant qui doit-on être vrai si ce n’est en présence de celui qui sonde les derniers replis de nos cœurs, et qui s’appelle Dieu de vérité, יי אלהים אמת?	We have only to add a few words about how we felt about fulfilling our task. We have tried to present our prayers simply, clearly, and devoid of literary pretention. Prayer being the most intimate expression of man’s relationship with God, it loses the character of truth, if, instead of being simple and easy, it wanders off into affectation and metaphors. We avoided the declamatory tirades, these flourishes that, in our opinion, detract from some of the works of our genre. Before whom should we be true if not in the presence of He who probes the innermost recesses of our hearts; He who is called the God of truth יי אלהים אמת ?
Un très-grand nombre des prières de notre recueil sont originales, d’autres sont imitées de nos livres sacrés, ou traduites un rituel et du Machsor, sans cependant que nous nous soyons attachés servilement au texte littéral, toutes les fois que le génie de notre langue exigeait une forme différente. Enfin, nous avons plus d’une fois puisé dans les excellents livres de piété publiés en Allemagne, notamment par Letteris, Jacobsohn, Rosenfeld, etc.; leurs ouvrages nous ont fourni le sujet et quelquefois le texte de plusieurs morceaux. Que ces savants coreligionnaires veuillent recevoir ici l’hommage public de notre reconnaissance.	A great number of prayers in our collection are original, others are copies from our sacred texts or translated rituals from the Maḥzor, without, however, tying us slavishly to the literal text whenever the genius of our language required a different form. Finally, more than once, we drew from excellent religious books published in Germany, notably by [Meïr] Letteris, [Israel] Jacobsohn, [Samson Wolf] Rosenfeld,[2] A reference, I think, to Stunden der Andacht fur Israeliten zur Beförderung religiösen Lebens und häuslicher Gottesverehrung (Hours of Devotion for Israelites for the Promotion of Religious Life and Domestic Worship), published in 1833 and 1834 by the rabbi and educator Isaak Heß and Samson Wolf Rosenfeld in Württemberg.   etc.; their works have given us the subject and occasionally the text from other works. May these wise co-religionists please receive in public recognition our gratitude.
Pour la division matérielle de notre ouvrage, nous avons adopté la classification suivante :	For the divisions of the text of our work, we have adopted the following categories:
1° Prières qui reviennent périodiquement, soit tous les jours, soit aux jours de fête.	1. Prayers that recur periodically, either daily or on festival days.
2° Prières et méditations religieuses pour les diverses circonstances de la vie; ces méditations remplissent une lacune importante de notre rituel, qui n’a pas de prières pour ce que nous appelons la piété domestique.	2. Prayers and religious meditations for various circumstances of life; these meditations fill an important gap in our siddurim which have no prayer for what we call domestic piety.
3° Prières de deuil, à réciter soit aux anniversaires, soit au cimetière.	3. Prayers of mourning, for reciting prayers for anniversaries (yahrzheits), for prayers at the cemetery.
4° Enfin, dans une quatrième et dernière partie, nous avons placé quelques morceaux de philosophie religieuse, qui sont plutôt des préparations à la foi que de véritables prières.	4. Finally, in the fourth and last section, we have placed some religious philosophical pieces that are more faith-renderings than actual prayers.
Avant de terminer, qu’il nous soit permis d’adresser une humble supplique à nos lecteurs et surtout à nos pieuses lectrices. Nous les conjurons de ne pas lire ce livre comme on lit une œuvre de littérature, c’est-à-dire avec l’esprit d’analyse et de critique. La prière écrite, quelque parfaite qu’elle soit, est impuissante si l’élan du cœur ne la complète, si l’enthousiasme de l’âme ne l’échauffe. Or, l’analyse refroidit l’âme et les sentiments du cœur. Ouvrez donc ce livre avec la pieuse intention de prier, et non de lire, alors la religion vous inspirera, et votre prière étant l’expression de votre foi, sera agréable au Seigneur.	Before ending, may we be permitted to address the humble supplication of our pious readers, male and, especially, female. We entreat you not to read this book as a work of literature, that is to say, with an analytic and critical mind. The written prayer, as perfect as it is, is powerless if the spirit of the heart is not full, if the enthusiasm of the soul does not kindle it. Analysis cools the soul and the feelings of the heart. If you open the book with the pious intention of praying, not reading, then religion will inspire you, and your prayer being the expression of your faith, will be agreeable to the Lord.
Strasbourg, janvier 1848 (Schebat 5608).   Le grand-rabbin du Consistoire du Bas-Rhin,   Arnaud Aron.	Strasbourg, January 1848 (Shvat 5608)   The Grand-Rabbi of the Consistory of the Lower-Rhine,   Arnaud Aron

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Source (French)	Translation (English)
Approbation de m. le grand-rabbin du consistoire central.	Approbation of the Chief Rabbi of the Central Consistory
J’ai parcouru le livre intitulé : Prières d’un cœur israélite, que la Société pour la propagation des bons livres est sur le point de publier. Cet ouvrage me paraît destiné à exercer la plus salutaire influence sur l’esprit de nos coreligionnaires, et sera, je l’espère, un puissant auxiliaire pour réveiller chez eux le sentiment d’une profonde piété. Les divers morceaux extraits du rituel et des Pioutim que ce livre contient, ont été choisis avec discernement et traduits avec un rare talent, ce qui le rendra aussi efficace pour entretenir le recueillement dans nos temples, que pour nourrir la piété domestique. Je ne crois pas me tromper, en avançant que ce livre obtiendra un très-favorable accueil du public israélite. Je m’empresse de donner à cette publication mon entière approbation.	I went through the book entitled: Prayers from an Israelite Heart, which the Society for the Propagation of Good Books is about to publish. This book seems to me to be destined to exert the most salutary influence on the spirit of our co-religionists, and will, I hope, be a powerful aid in awakening in them a sense of deep piety. The various pieces extracted from the ritual and the piyyutim that this book contains, have been chosen with discernment and translated with a rare talent, which will make it as effective in maintaining recollection in our temples as it is in nourishing domestic piety. I do not think I am mistaken in saying that this book will be very well received by the Israelite public. I hasten to give this publication my full approval.
Paris, le 18 janvier 1848. Le Grand-Rabbin du Consistoire central, Marchand Ennery.[3] Marchand Ennery was the Chief Rabbi of Paris and Brother of the Jonas Ennery.

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Source (French)	Translation (English)
Avant-Propos sur la deuxième édition.	Foreword on the second edition.
La bénédiction du Seigneur a été sur ce livre. Le rapide épuisement de la première édition nous a comblés de joie en nous prouvant que la foi d’Israël a des racines vivaces dans notre pays, et que le zèle des fidèles ne manque pas aux œuvres qui répondent à leurs besoins.	The blessing of the Lord has been upon this book. The rapid exhaustion of the first edition filled us with joy as it showed us that the faith of Israel has strong roots in our country, and that the zeal of the faithful is not lacking in works that respond to their needs.
Ce succès, qui est pour la Société des bons livres la plus précieuse des récompenses, lui a imposé le devoir de ne rien négliger pour que la nouvelle édition méritât l’accueil fait à la précédente.	This success, which is for the Society of Good Books the most precious of rewards, has imposed upon it the duty not to neglect anything so that the new edition deserves the welcome given to the previous one.
Pour mieux atteindre ce but, nous avons fait, aux lumières de MM. les grands rabbins de France, un appel qui a été entendu, et si cette nouvelle édition répond plus complétement encore à sa destination, nous en rendrons grâces aux savantes observations que nous devons à leur pieux concours.	In order to better reach this goal, we have made, in the light of Messrs. the Chief Rabbis of France, a call which has been heard, and if this new edition responds even more completely to its destination, we will give thanks to the learned observations which we owe to their pious assistance.
Nous offrons ici un témoignage particulier de notre reconnaissance à M. le grand-rabbin de Bordeaux. Outre la sympathie active qu’il a apportée à notre œuvre, cet éminent pasteur a bien voulu nous envoyer, pour cette édition, un travail de révision qui a été largement utilisé.	We offer here a special token of our gratitude to the Grand Rabbi of Bordeaux. In addition to the active sympathy he has brought to our work, this eminent pastor was kind enough to send us, for this edition, a work of revision which has been widely used.
Nous avons, en outre, mis à profit plusieurs ouvrages importants, que nos pieux et savants coreligionnaires de l’Allemagne continuent à mettre au jour avec un zèle infatigable.	We have also made use of several important works, which our pious and learned co-religionists in Germany continue to bring to light with untiring zeal.
La nouvelle édition diffère de la précédente par de nombreuses additions, qui portent surtout sur les offices. Conformément au vœu exprimé par MM. les grands-rabbins, la partie liturgique a reçu une extension suffisante pour que le livre réponde autant que possible aux nécessités du culte public.	The new edition differs from the previous one by many additions, which mainly concern the offices. In accordance with the wish expressed by the Chief Rabbis, the liturgical part has been extended sufficiently to ensure that the book meets the needs of public worship as much as possible.
Nous avions ici à concilier le caractère sacré et traditionnel du rituel avec les nouveaux besoins du temps. Dans ce but, la forme et la marche des offices ont été scrupuleusement respectées; nous avons conservé ces psaumes sublimes ainsi que ces belles et antiques prières qui sont l’expression et la confession de notre foi; mais les autres ont été le plus souvent remplacées, soit par une analyse sommaire, soit par des prières et méditations analogues, quoique exprimées dans un autre langage. Les fidèles pourront donc, notre livre à la main, suivre les offices publics, et y trouver en même temps un aliment pour leur ferveur et leur recueillement.	Here we had to reconcile the sacred and traditional character of the ritual with the new needs of the times. To this end, the form and flow of the offices have been scrupulously respected; we have kept those sublime psalms and those beautiful and ancient prayers which are the expression and confession of our faith; but the others have been more often than not replaced, either by a summary analysis or by analogous prayers and meditations, though expressed in another language. The faithful will therefore be able, with our book in hand, to follow the public offices, and at the same time find in them food for their fervor and recollection.
Qu’il nous soit permis d’exprimer, à cette occasion, le vœu que l’indication liturgique fasse désormais partie de l’enseignement religieux, et que les jeunes personnes s’habituent de bonne heure à suivre le service divin; car, malgré les explications détaillées placées en tête de chaque office, la pratique du culte public pourra seule les familiariser avec la liturgie.	Let us take this opportunity to express the hope that liturgical indications will henceforth form part of religious teaching, and that young people will become accustomed early on to following the divine service; for, in spite of the detailed explanations placed at the head of each office, only the practice of public worship will be able to familiarize them with the liturgy.
Quant au reste de l’ouvrage, nous n’avons pas d’autres observations à faire, si ce n’est que la quatrième partie a été réunie à la deuxième, et que celle-ci a été enrichie d’un certain nombre de méditations nouvelles, portant sur les principales vérités de notre dogme ou sur les points les plus importants de la morale pratique.	As for the rest of the work, we have no further observations to make, except that the fourth part has been reunited with the second, and that it has been enriched with a number of new meditations, dealing with the main truths of our dogma or with the most important points of practical morality.
Ce livre est donc à la fois un livre d’offices et un livre de lecture pieuse; s’il répond à son but, il doit élever le cœur à Dieu par la prière, et, en même temps, fortifier la foi par la doctrine. Puisse-t-il faire germer et développer dans les âmes la piété et la charité ; puisse-t-il faire connaître à tous la grandeur et la vérité de la foi d’Israël, et concourir ainsi à la gloire du Seigneur et au salut de ceux qui l’invoqueront. Amen.	This book is therefore both a book of offices and a book of pious reading; if it fulfills its purpose, it must raise the heart to God through prayer and, at the same time, strengthen the faith through doctrine. May he cause piety and charity to sprout and develop in souls; may he make known to all the greatness and truth of the faith of Israel, and thus contribute to the glory of the Lord and the salvation of those who invoke him. Amen.
Strasbourg, le 10 décembre 1852. (29 Kislew 5613). Le grand-rabbin du Consistoire du Bas-Rhin, Arnaud Aron.

“📖 אמרי לב (Imrei Lev) Prières D’un Cœur Israélite, a collection of paraliturgical prayers and teḥinot in French by Jonas Ennery & Rabbi Arnaud Aron (1848/53)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Jonas Ennery

Jonas Ennery (Jan. 2, 1801, Nancy - May 19, 1863, Brussels) was a French deputy. He was for twenty-six years attached to the Jewish school of Strasbourg, of which he became the head. In collaboration with Hirth, he compiled a Dictionnaire Général de Géographie Universelle (4 vols., Strasburg, 1839–41), for which Cuvier wrote a preface. Soon afterward he published Le Sentier d'Israël, ou Bible des Jeunes Israélites (Paris, Metz, and Strasburg, 1843). At the request of the Société des Bons Livres he took part in the editorship of Prières d'un Cœur Israélite, which appeared in 1848. In 1849, despite anti-Jewish rioting in Alsace, Ennery was elected representative for the department of the Lower Rhine, and sat among the members of the "Mountain." He devoted his attention principally to scholastic questions. After the coup d'état he held to his socialist republican views and resisted the new order of things. For this, in 1852 he was exiled from France for life. He retired to Brussels, where he lived as a teacher until his death. Ennery's brother, Marchand Ennery, was the chief rabbi of Paris.

Arnaud Aron

Arnaud Aron (March 11, 1807, in Sulz unterm Walde, Alsace – April 3, 1890), the Grand Rabbi of Strasbourg, began his Talmudic studies at an early age at Hagenau and continued them at Frankfort-on-the-Main. In 1830 he became rabbi of the small community of Hegenheim in Upper Alsace; and of Strasbourg in 1833. As he was under thirty, the age prescribed by law, he required a special dispensation to qualify for the office. In Strasbourg, Aron acquired the reputation of an eloquent and inspiring preacher and a zealous communal worker. He assisted in founding the School of Arts and Trades and took active interest in other useful institutions. In 1855 he convened an assembly of the rabbis of the department of the Lower Rhine for the consideration of religious questions. Aron was the author of the catechism used for confirmation as prescribed by the Consistory of Lower Alsace. In 1866 the French government acknowledged his services by appointing him a Knight of the Legion of Honor. In 1870, while Strasbourg was besieged, it was he, together with the archbishop, who raised the white flag on the cathedral. Subsequently he was decorated by the German emperor.

Consistoire central israélite de France

The Consistoire central israélite de France (English: Israelite Central Consistory of France) is an institution originally created by Napoleon I by the Imperial Decree of 17 March 1808 to administer Jewish worship and congregations in France. Given Napoleon's political emancipation of the Jews, he wanted a representative body that could deal with his government. He also directed the establishment of regional Israelite Consistories, subordinate to the Central Consistory, across France and Italy. The consistories were ranked as établissements publics du culte (public-law corporations of worship). In its first year, the consistory was led by Rabbi David Sinzheim, who headed the Assembly of Notables and the Grand Sanhedrin that preceded it in organization.

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.)

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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