https://opensiddur.org/?p=46634Invocation for Temple Meeting, by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)2022-09-08 10:57:20"Invocation for Temple Meeting" by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, <em><a href="https://opensiddur.org/?p=32508">An Offering of Prayer</a></em> (1962), p. 69, from where this prayer was transcribed.
Textthe Open Siddur ProjectAharon N. Varady (transcription)Aharon N. Varady (transcription)Morrison David Bialhttps://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/Aharon N. Varady (transcription)https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/Congregation & Community58th century A.M.SynagoguesEnglish vernacular prayerInvocation20th century C.E.
We stand in hushed silence for a moment
and turn our hearts inward
to offer our thanks for Thy blessings
and our prayer for the future.
Much have we received from Thee, O Lord,
and we are grateful:
For our loved ones
who are the center
and meaning
of our lives.
Our Temple
which is the fulcrum
of our religious lives
and a source of hope
and betterment
for our community.
For the devoted men and women
who have given of themselves
freely and loyally
to build a house
of worship
and fellowship
dedicated to Thy service;
who in the spirit of brotherhood
and cooperation
created this sanctuary
as a beating heart
to pulse forth its currents
of faith,
trust
and love.
For all these
we speak our gratitude
and pray that we may be given
ardor and strength
so as to merit
Thy continued blessing.
Amen.
“Invocation for Temple Meeting” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 69, from where this prayer was transcribed.
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.)
Born in New York in 1917, Morrison David Bial studied at Princeton Theological Seminary, served as a chaplain at Mitchell Field during World War II, and was ordained from the Jewish Institute of Religion in 1945. Rabbi Bial spoke from pulpits in the United States as well as in Dublin, Glasgow, and London. He led a number of tours to Israel, and published thirteen books, including The Rabbi’s Bible: Torah and The Rabbi’s Bible: Prophets (began in 1966, co-authored with Solomon Simon), Liberal Judaism at Home: the Practices of Modern Reform Judaism (1971), and Your Jewish Child (1978). Rabbi Bial spent over thirty years serving Temple Sinai in Summit, New Jersey, from 1953 until he became Rabbi Emeritus in 1985. From 1985–1995, Rabbi Bial joined Temple Beth Shalom in Ocala, Florida, revitalizing its interfaith movement, and served as Rabbi Emeritus until his death in 2004.
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