Prayer on the consecration of the new synagogue building for Ḳahal Ḳadosh Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (1 June 1860)

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Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription) and Sabato Morais

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27 July 2022 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, dedications and consecrations, synagogue consecration, Ḳ.Ḳ. Miḳveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), 19th century C.E.

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O Lord! Open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. (Psalms 51:17) Thou who hast framed my being know at the thought, which pervades it at this solemn hour. Suffer me not to falter, Mighty Protector! when I seek to show forth Thy goodness, and teach its recipients the duties of life. Like the dew that falls gently on the surface of the earth, but sinks down into its bosom, and makes it fertile, so let my feeble imparting strike root into the hearts of my hearers, and yield exuberant fruit.
	God who hearkenest unto prayer! Grant that that the celebration of an event, which perhaps, none among us will again witness in our community, may add inspiring feelings of devotional awe. Grant that the impression it will create, may not be effaced until we cease to exist. When, lured by the passions, we waver in our faith, let the memorial of the day, on which we avowed it, before a vast multitude of Thy adorers, withhold us from defection; for, unto Thee O Everlasting King! we devote this comely habitation. As a tribute of allegiance to the code of laws that govern Israel, we laid the corner stone thereof, furthered its erection, and have now hallowed it with national psalmody.
	This monument O God! shall tell a generation yet unborn, that we have held fast unto the legacy of our fathers. Let then Thy spirit— though it fills the universe— deign to rest thereupon. In the volumes we revere has been written, that in what place soever, Thou wilt allow Thy name to be mentioned, on it will Thy Divinity descend, and bestow blessings.
	Oh! vouchsafe to fulfil in us that celestial promise. Let the radiance of Thy Glory illumine this tabernacle. Let it be reflected in our future demeanor. Grant that it may influence our course; that it it may prompt us to watch at these sacred portals, to enter therein, and worship therein in unison of sentiments and humble adoration.
	Let Thy invisible Spirit, O Lord! soothe the pangs of Thy suppliants; breathe hope into Thy forlorn children; uphold the repentant in the paths of righteousness; offer the pious a foretaste of immortality.
	Let it affect him also, who, bewildered by the turmoil of life, never communes with his Maker. Lo! incited by an outward impulse, he has this day bent his steps hither. Grant that the Spirit which I invoke may penetrate his inward soul, and he will own “that a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand” spent in the pursuit of gain.
	And now, O Omniscient God! Which of Thy gracious boons shall Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid, implore from Thee? The longing of my heart is before Thine eyes continually. “O Lord! Open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise.” (Psalms 51:17)

This prayer for the consecration of the new synagogue building of Mikve Israel by Rabbi Sabato Morais was recorded in an “[Account of…] the consecration ceremony of the new Synagogue of the congregation Mikveh Israel… [Excerpted…] from The Philadelphia Inquirer, of May 25th.” and reprinted in The Jewish Messenger on 1 June 1860. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 17b, clipping 017), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.)

Source(s)

Prayer at the consecration of the new synagogue building for Mikve Israel [1860-05-25] (Sabato Morais Ledger, p. 17b clipping 017)

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“Prayer on the consecration of the new synagogue building for Ḳahal Ḳadosh Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (1 June 1860)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

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.)

Sabato Morais

Rabbi Sabato Morais (שבתאי מוראיס; April 13, 1823 – November 11, 1897) was an Italian-American rabbi, leader of Mikveh Israel Synagogue in Philadelphia, pioneer of Italian Jewish Studies in America, and in 1886, co-founder (with Henry Pereira Mendes) of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America to preserve the knowledge and practice of traditional, historical rabbinic Judaism in the United States.

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The third building of Ḳ.Ḳ. Miḳveh Israel at Seventh and Arch Streets (1907)

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Flag of the United States House of Representatives

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Morris J. Raphall on 1 February 1860

Prayer for the United States on a Civic Fast Day during the Civil War, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (30 April 1863)

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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