Closing Prayer for Arbor Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)

Contributor(s):

John Paul Williams, Eugene Kohn, Mordecai Kaplan and Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Shared on:

11 January 2021 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

National Arbor Day (last Friday of April), Planting

Tags:

planting trees, 20th century C.E., ecumenical prayers, United States, 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, civic prayers, American Jewry of the United States

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O God, Creator of all that lives, we have planted a tree in token of our acknowledgement of the duty that rests upon us to further your work of creation. It is upon you, however, and upon your gifts of rain and sunshine and nourishing soil that the growth of this tree depends.
	And so is it with all our works in making this a better world. Every good deed we do is but a seed, taken from the store of your infinite goodness, planted by us in this world and dependent upon your creative and sustaining power to enable it to thrive and bear fruit.
	Our mothers and fathers planted a good seed, the seed of a self-governing society of free and equal citizens. Instruct us in your law so that we may know how to prune the tree which they planted of all unwholesome growths, and how so to cultivate it with loving and patient labor that today’s new shoots may ever draw the sap of life from the deepest roots of our American past. May our nation be indeed a tree of life bearing blossoms of beauty and fruit of goodness for endless ages. Amen.

This closing prayer for Arbor Day, “The Significance of the Day,” was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 86. It is unclear from this publication whether the prayer was written by Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, or Eugene Kohn separately or together in collaboration. I have replaced archaisms in this prayer (thee, thy, thou, etc.) as well as egalitarian language where male default language was invoked. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Closing Prayer for Arbor Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

John Paul Williams

Dr. John Paul Williams (1900-1973) was chairman of the department of religion at Mount Holyoke College. In 1946, he served as president of the National Association of Biblical Instructors (now known as the American Academy of Religion). He wrote What Americans Believe and How They Worship (1952, revised 1962) containing the chapter "Judaism -- the Mother Institution." Together with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and Eugene Kohn he co-authored the anthology of civic prayers, Faith in America (1951).

Eugene Kohn

Eugene Kohn (January 26, 1887 - April 1, 1977) was an American Reconstructionist rabbi, writer and editor. Born in Newark, New Jersey he attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and in 1912 received ordination. It was here that he met Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan who taught him homiletics. Between 1912 and 1939 he served as a congregational rabbi in Conservative synagogues in the U.S. states of Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Wisconsin and Ohio. He also served as the president of the Rabbinical Assembly 1936-1937. He played a central role in the Reconstructionist movement. He edited its journal The Reconstructionist and, alongside Kaplan and Ira Eisenstein, edited The New Haggadah (1941), The Sabbath Prayer Book (1945) and The Reconstructionist Prayer Book (1948). Alongside Jack Cohen, Eisenstein and Milton Steinberg he was one of Kaplan's main disciples.

Mordecai Kaplan

Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983), was a rabbi, essayist and Jewish educator and the co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein.

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.)

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Works of related interest:

Arbor Day, Wild Animal Park, U.S. Forest Service Employee, Susan Blankenbaker with Woodsy Owl, U.S. Forest Service Employee, Robert Sanders and Children (ca. 1979-1986)

Opening Prayer on the Significance of Arbor Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)

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Opening Prayer on the Significance of Flag Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)

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Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=35066

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Arbor Day, Wild Animal Park, Girl Scout Plants Tree Assisted by Leader (circa 1979-1986)

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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