
Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady
Shared on ה׳ באייר ה׳תשע״ג (2013-04-15) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Yom Ha'atsma'ut (5 Iyyar), Independence Day (July 4th), Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November)
Tags: eco-conscious, Gratitude, על הנסים al hanissim, acquisition, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Indigenous Peoples, Nodeh L'kha, primordial scream, stewardship, shomrah ul'ovdah, colonization, conquest, settlement, refugees, immigration, sanctuary, subjugation, hegemony, Needing Translation (into Hebrew), מודים Modim
Opportunities to express gratitude on secular, nationalist days of thanksgiving demand acknowledgement of an almost unfathomably deep history of trauma — not only the suffering and striving of my immigrant ancestors, but the sacrifice of all those who endured suffering dealt by their struggle to survive, and often failure to survive, the oppressions dealt by colonization, conquest, hegemony, natural disaster. Only the Earth (from which we, earthlings were born, Bnei Adam from Adamah) has witnessed the constancy of the violent deprivations we inflict upon each other. The privilege I’ve inherited from these sacrifices has come at a cost, and it must be honestly acknowledged, especially on secular/national days of thanksgiving, independence, and freedom. I insert this prayer after Al Hanissim in the Amidah and in the Birkat Hamazon on national days of independence and thanksgiving. . . .

Contributor(s): Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
Shared on י״ז באייר ה׳תשע״ח (2018-05-02) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh Hashanah, Erev Shabbat, Erev Pesaḥ, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Sukkot, Ecotastrophes
Tags: 20th century C.E., eco-conscious, kindling, North America, candle lighting, 58th century A.M., כוונות kavvanot, English vernacular prayer, ecoḥasid
“Between the Fires: A Prayer for lighting Candles of Commitment” was composed by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, drawing on traditional midrash about the danger of a Flood of Fire, and the passage from Malachi. . . .
This Haraḥaman (prayer to the merciful or compassionate One) for the Shmitah or sabbatical year can be added to Birkat Hamazon (blessing after meals) during the whole Shmitah year, in order to remember and open our hearts to the sanctity of the land. Say it right before the Harachaman for Shabbat, since Shmitah is the grand shabbat, and right after the paragraph beginning with Bamarom (a/k/a, Mimarom). . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription), David Seidenberg, neohasid.org and Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Shared on כ״ז באלול ה׳תשע״ה (2015-09-11) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System
Tags: eco-conscious, ecumenical prayers, North America, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Hebrew translation, Massachusetts, ecoḥasid, Northampton, Catholic and Apostolic Church, Vatican City
An ecumenical prayer by Pope Francis from his encyclical, Laudato Si (praise be to you) from May 24th, 2015. Here’s my draft of a Hebrew translation of Pope Francis’ prayer for our earth. It turns out no one had translated it yet. The translation includes sparks from the High Holiday liturgy. I thought we should have it available for Rosh Hashanah, even though I’m sure the translation could use more work and more feedback. . . .

Contributor(s): Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
Shared on י״ב באב ה׳תשע״א (2011-08-12) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Shema
Tags: eco-conscious, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Prayers as poems, Pnai Ohr, Philadelphia, paraliturgical shema, v'haya im shemo'a, interpretation as prayer, Deuteronomy 11:13-21, Numbers 15:37-41, Deuteronomy 6:4
Sh’sh’sh’ma Yisra’el — Listen, You Godwrestlers! Pause from your wrestling and hush’sh’sh To hear — YHWH/ Yahh Hear in the stillness the still silent voice, The silent breathing that intertwines life; YHWH/ Yahh elohenu Breath of life is our God, What unites all the varied forces creating all worlds into one-ness, Each breath unique, And all unified; YHWH / Yahh echad! Yahh is One. Listen, You Godwrestlers! No one people alone owns this Unify-force; YHWH / Yahh is One. . . .

Contributor(s): Gabbai Seth Fishman (translation) and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Shared on י״ח בתשרי ה׳תשע״ו (2015-09-30) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Sukkot, Hoshana Rabbah, Ecotastrophes
Tags: 20th century C.E., eco-conscious, North America, Hoshana Rabbah, hoshanot, 58th century A.M., hakafot
A supplemental Hoshanot liturgy for Sukkot confessing a selection of humanity’s crimes against creation. . . .

Contributor(s): David Seidenberg and neohasid.org
Shared on כ״ט במרחשון ה׳תשע״ג (2012-11-14) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Dangerous Storms & Floods, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System
Tags: eco-conscious, weather, emergency, danger, תחינות teḥinot, 21st century C.E., בקשות Baqashot, 58th century A.M., Hebrew translation, Hurricane Sandy, taking responsibility, Hurricane Harvey, ecoḥasid, Hurricane Florence
The prayers for hurricane victims that are circulating through the Open Siddur Project and elsewhere are poignant and heartfelt, but they don’t speak an important piece of the truth that we need to hear. What about our collective responsibility for climate disruption that undoubtedly increases the harm caused by this and every major storm? And what about the Deuteronomic promise that God brings us recompense for our actions davka through the weather? Here’s an attempt at a prayer that incorporates a deeper understanding of our responsibility. For the final version of this prayer, I started with an anonymous Hebrew translation of my original English prayer, then I tweaked it and wove in scriptural references, and retranslated it back into English. . . .

Contributor(s): Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
Shared on כ״ד במרחשון ה׳תשע״ג (2012-11-09) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Shema, Ecotastrophes
Tags: eco-conscious, interconnectedness, שמע shema, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Pnai Ohr, Philadelphia, paraliturgical shema, v'haya im shemo'a, interpretation as prayer, Deuteronomy 11:13-21
A midrashic translation/ interpretation of the second paragraph of the Sh’ma. . . .
I offer here a prayer for the Earth, which you may wish to use in your personal prayer practice or as part of a community to which you belong. It could be included as one of the prayers after reading the Torah. . . .
Richard Shavei-Tzion writes, “At this time when mankind is wreaking havoc on our Eco-System, we pray to God to preserve the treasure that is the earth and to grant us the wisdom to make pro-active efforts to protect it for the sake of our future generations and all which dwell upon it.” . . .
Avi Dolgin’s translation of תהילים כט (Psalm 29) interweaves between the original Hebrew (הָב֣וּ לַֽ֭יהוָה בְּנֵ֣י אֵלִ֑ים | havu l’YHVH b’nei eilim) and an English language interpretation. The interpretation, while faithful to the original, leans heavily on environmental concerns, especially as seen from a North American West Coast perspective. . . .

Contributor(s): Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
Shared on י״ז בתשרי ה׳תשע״ג (2012-10-03) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh Hashanah, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Rosh haShanah l'Maaseh Bereshit
Tags: eco-conscious, interconnectedness, interbreathing, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., global warming, global climate change, Memorial prayers, English vernacular prayer
May the words we are with Your help sharing today, Speak deeply –- with Your help — to our nation and the world. Help us all to know that the sharing of our breath with all of life Is the very proof, the very truth, that we are One. . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Shared on א׳ בתשרי ה׳תשע״ב (2011-09-28) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh Hashanah, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System
Tags: eco-conscious, peace, humor, זמירות zemirot, Teva Learning Alliance, punning, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Jewish Farming
A pun filled ditty by the Fall 2010 Jewish environmental educators of the Teva Learning Center. . . .
The Talmud (Brakhot 35a-b) teaches that eating food without saying a brakhah (a blessing) beforehand is like stealing. A lot of people know that teaching, and it’s pretty deep. But here’s an even deeper part: the Talmud doesn’t call it “stealing”, but מעילה ׁ(“me’ilah“), which means taking from sacred property that belongs to the Temple. So that means that everything in the world is sacred and this Creation is like a HOLY TEMPLE. . . .

Contributor(s): David Seidenberg and neohasid.org
Shared on ח׳ בכסלו ה׳תשע״א (2010-11-15) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh haShanah la-Melakhim, Rosh haShanah la-Behemah, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Rosh haShanah l'Maaseh Bereshit, Rosh haShanah la-Ilanot (Tu biShvat)
Tags: eco-conscious, North America, earth, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., ecoḥasid
God of all spirit, all directions, all winds You have placed in our hands power unlike any since the world began to overturn the orders of creation. . . .
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