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A private prayer for fulfilling your civic duty and voting, whether in a voting booth or by mail. The concluding partial berakhah (without its full preamble, so as to avoid a berakhah levatala) is traditionally stated upon seeing a king of a nation, so in a democratic regime it seems appropriate to adopt for the voters.
Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.”
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| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
הִנְנִי גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב בְּאֶרֶץ נׇכְרִיָּה בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלֵי גָּלוּתִי׃ גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ לְפָנֶיךָ כִּי הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת לֹא אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ, אֶלָּא אֶרֶץ מוּם, אֶרֶץ חֶסְרוֹנֵי תִּקּוּן, אֶרֶץ לֹא מֻשְׁלֶמֶת הִיא׃ אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן, בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת הֲרֵי נְתוּנָה לְכׇל־אֶזְרָח וּלְכׇל־גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב הַזְּכוּת הָרַבָּה הַזֹּאת — וַהֲלֹא הִיא רֹאשׁ עַל־כָּל־זְכוּיוֹת! וְהִיא הַזְּכוּת לִבְחֹר אֶת־שָׂרֵינוּ וְאֶת־נְשִׂיאֵינוּ, אֶת־מֶמְשַׁלְתֵּנוּ וְאֶת־רְשׁוּתֵנוּ׃ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יוֹם בְּחִירַת הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, וְהִנְנִי אם אצל תא ההצבעה — עוֹמֵד בְּפֶתַח מִשְׁכַּן הַבְּחִירָה׃ אם בדואר — כּוֹתֵב וְחוֹתֵם אֶת קְלָפִי הַבְּחִירָה׃ |
Here am I, a resident alien in a foreign land, among the tents of my exile. It is clear and known before You that this land is not a land flowing with milk and honey, but rather a blemished land, a land lacking repair, a land imperfect it is. That being said, in this land is granted to all natives and resident citizens this one great right — and it not the head of all rights! and it is the right to choose our officials and presidents, our governments and authorities. This day is the day of choosing the government, and here am I — at a voting booth say: standing at the entrance of the tent of choice. if voting by mail say: writing and sealing my parchment of choice. |
וּבְכֵן, הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה לַמְּלָכִים וּמֶמְשָׁלָה לַנְּסִיכִים, מַלְכוּתוֹ מַלְכוּת כׇּל־עוֹלָמִים׃ יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁתָּאִיר אֶת־לְבָבִי וְתַפְקִיחַ אֶת־עֵינִי לִבְחֹר בְּטוֹבַת אַרְצִי וְכׇל־יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, וְלֹא לִבְחֹר בְּרָעָתָהּ בַּיּוֹם הָרָב הַזֶּה וְגַם בְּכׇל־יוֹם וָיוֹם׃ וְאַחֲרֵי נְעִילַת הַשְּׁעָרִים, יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁלֹּא אֶתְיָאֵשָׁה בַּאֲפֵלָה אֶלָּא אֶעֱבֹדָה לְתַקֵּן אֶת־הַשְּׁבָרִים וְלִבְדֹּק אֶת־בֵּיתִי בַּחַיִּים וּבְרָכָה׃ |
And thus, O, the One who grants victory to kings and government to princes whose sovereignty is sovereign for all eternities, may it be willed before You to enlighten my heart and let open my eyes to choose the good of my nation and all its inhabitants, and not to choose its evil on this day as well as on every day. And after the gates close, may it be willed before You that I not despair in darkness, but rather labor to fix the breaches and repair my house in life and blessing. |
כָּאָמוּר בְּדִבְרֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ — הַעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (דברים ל:יט) וּבְדִבְרֵי נְבִיאֶךָ כָּתוּב לֵאמֹר — וְדִרְשׁ֞וּ אֶת־שְׁל֣וֹם הָעִ֗יר אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִגְלֵ֤יתִי אֶתְכֶם֙ שָׁ֔מָּה וְהִתְפַּֽלְל֥וּ בַעֲדָ֖הּ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה כִּ֣י בִשְׁלוֹמָ֔הּ יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (ירמיהו כט:ז) וּבְכִתְבֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּ חׇכְמָתְךָ בּוֹ כָּתוּב לֵאמֹר — ט֛וֹב יֶ֥לֶד מִסְכֵּ֖ן וְחָכָ֑ם מִמֶּ֤לֶךְ זָקֵן֙ וּכְסִ֔יל אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־יָדַ֥ע לְהִזָּהֵ֖ר עֽוֹד׃ כִּֽי־מִבֵּ֥ית הָסוּרִ֖ים יָצָ֣א לִמְלֹ֑ךְ כִּ֛י גַּ֥ם בְּמַלְכוּת֖וֹ נוֹלַ֥ד רָֽשׁ׃ (קהלת ד:יג-יד) בָּרוּךְ שֶׁנָּתַן מִכְּבוֹדוֹ לְבָשָׂר וָדָם׃ (ברכות נח א) |
As said in the words of Your Torah: I call to witness upon you this day the heaven and the earth — life and death I have given you, blessing and curse, and choose life, that you and your seed may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19) And in Your prophet’s words it is written saying: And seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you and pray on its behalf to the CAUSE for in its welfare you will have welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7) And in the writings of the king in which You gave Your wisdom it is written saying: Better is a youth, poor but wise, than an old foolish king who no longer knows to be cautious. For the former can come out from prison a king, For the latter born in rule, a pauper. (Ecclesiastes 4:13-14) Blessed be the One who gave of Divine glory to flesh and blood.[1] Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 58a |
Notes
| 1 | Talmud Bavli, Berakhot 58a |
|---|
“תפילה פרטית לשם הצבעה | Private Prayer for Voting, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (2020)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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