Prayer of Thanksgiving, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Lilian Helen Montagu

Shared on:

8 May 2023 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Bnei (Bar/Bat) Mitsvah & Other Birthday Prayers

Tags:

teḥinot in English, thanksgiving, paraliturgical modim, West Central Girls' Club, 19th century C.E., Gratitude, תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., Jewish Women's Prayers, English vernacular prayer

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Prayer of thanksgiving.
	My Father,— I thank Thee for all the blessings which Thou hast granted to me. I am young, and it is a beautiful, a lovely thing to be young. O help me to use my youth in such a way as to prepare me for my life hereafter.
	O Lord, I cannot know what is in store for me, but Thou hast taught me to put my trust in Thee, and therefore I do not feel afraid.
	Lord, whether in the future I marry or whether I remain single, I shall be able to lead a useful, happy life. I thank Thee for having made this possible for me.
	Lord, Thy glorious light is within my reach, and if I remain true to Thee and true to myself, life loses its terrors, and when the end draws near, I hope to face it with calm and trustfulness. Thou hast blessed my life with the beings whom I love, and to whom I know I am very dear. Oh, let me never cause them pain.
	Lord, Thou hast allowed me to inherit Thy glorious Law, and to obey its beautiful precepts. Thou hast given me wisdom to understand that what is most pleasing in Thy sight is a pure and trusting spirit. Thou art the God of righteousness, and Thou hast taught me that the end and object of my life must be to do right for right’s sake.
	Lord, I thank Thee for my womanhood! Let me never do anything to disgrace it. Help me to develop all its powers, so that I may become gentle, truthful, brave, loving, and honourable, and be able to influence all around me for good.
	Lord, I thank Thee for having kept me alive to witness signs of Thy never-ending love.
	In Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:12-13)

“Prayer of Thanksgiving” was written by Lilian Helen Montagu and published in Prayers for Jewish Working Girls (1895), pp. 6-7. This prayer reads to me as possibly intended to be used as a prayer of transition, before the tradition of the bat mitsvah was universally adopted, at a time when a young woman might be old enough to begin contemplating their future, their marriage prospects, and their general “usefulness” — especially in regards to their future work — the overarching theme of this collection of prayers. This affirmation in particular stands out to me as radically important for Lilian Montagu and other young suffragettes to express in 1895: “Lord, whether in the future I marry or whether I remain single, I shall be able to lead a useful, happy life” and “Lord, I thank Thee for my womanhood!” –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Prayer of Thanksgiving, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Aharon N. Varady (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.)

Lilian Helen Montagu

The Hon. Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE (22 December 1873 – 22 January 1963) was the first woman to play a major role in Progressive Judaism. Until the age of 15, she was educated at Doreck College, and privately educated thereafter. In 1893 she founded with Emily Marion Harris the West Central Jewish Girls Club (which subsequently merged into the Jewish Girls' Brigade). She was active in social improvement, particularly in respect to unemployment, sweat shops and bad housing. In 1901 and 1902, Montagu laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Jewish Religious Union in London. In February 1902 she arranged the first meeting of the Jewish Religious Union for the Advancement of Liberal Judaism at her sister Henrietta Franklin's house. The Union set up the first synagogue in Liberal Judaism in the UK and helped found the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Montagu was a founding member with her sister of the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. She sat on the executive committee and led the meetings in prayer. Following the retirement of Leo Baeck, Montagu served for a brief stint (1955–1959) in her 80s as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, before handing the reins over to Solomon Freehof.

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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