https://opensiddur.org/?p=19836תפילת הדרך | Tefilat haDerekh, a prayer for peace (trans. Rabbi David Seidenberg, neohasid.org)2018-04-18 21:12:32In this Tefilat haDerekh (the prayer for travel), I've made a synthesis of Ashkenazi and Sefardi nusaḥ. Even though the translation is pretty close to literal in most places, it comes across as an extraordinary and activist prayer for peace. So I think of this prayer not just as a prayer for the beginning a physical journey, but for any spiritual journey, and especially for any campaign or action for justice and peace that a person or group might undertake. When applied to activism, the "enmity and ambush and theft and predation" we ask to be rescued from could also be interpreted as hatred, deceit, jealousy, and aggression, i.e., the kinds of feelings that cause people to work against each other, even within an organization, instead of working together. I first used this version of the prayer at the beginning of a tour of Israel and Palestine focused on the human rights and non-violent resistance, when the group passed through the first checkpoint of the trip.
Textthe Open Siddur ProjectDavid SeidenbergDavid Seidenbergneohasid.orgUnknown Author(s)https://opensiddur.org/copyright-policy/David Seidenberghttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/Conflicts over Sovereignty and DispossessionTravelSocial Justice, Peace, and Libertyתחינות teḥinotתפילת הדרך tefilat haderekh
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May the holy desire come from You,
YHVH, our Source and our ancestors’ Source,
that You will lead us toward peace
and make our every step be a step toward peace,
and our path be a path of peace,
May You help us reach the true target of our desire:
life, joy, and peace.
Rescue us from all enmity and ambush and theft
and predation (from all impulses to harm that confront us) on this path.
Be a shield on our side against all manner of destruction
and from any dangerous complications that may arise
from the passions that come into the world.
Bless our actions and handiwork
and grant us grace, love, and compassion
in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who behold us,
for You are the one who is listening to hear the prayer
of every mouth of every creature.
Blessed be You who listens for prayer.
In this Tefilat haDerekh (the prayer for travel), I’ve made a synthesis of Ashkenazi and Sefardi nusaḥ. Even though the translation is pretty close to literal in most places, it comes across as an extraordinary and activist prayer for peace. So I think of this prayer not just as a prayer for the beginning a physical journey, but for any spiritual journey, and especially for any campaign or action for justice and peace that a person or group might undertake. When applied to activism, the “enmity and ambush and theft and predation” we ask to be rescued from could also be interpreted as hatred, deceit, jealousy, and aggression, i.e., the kinds of feelings that cause people to work against each other, even within an organization, instead of working together. I first used this version of the prayer at the beginning of a tour of Israel and Palestine focused on the human rights and non-violent resistance, when the group passed through the first checkpoint of the trip.
Rabbi David Seidenberg, founder of NeoHasid.org, teaches text and music, Jewish thought and spirituality, in their own right and in relation to ecology and the environment. With smikhah (ordination) from the Jewish Theological Seminary and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, he has taught at over 100 synagogues, communities, retreats and conferences across North America (and a few in Europe and Israel). Rabbi Seidenberg's teaching empowers learners to become creators of Judaism through deep study and communion with texts and tradition. Areas of specialty include Kabbalah and Ḥasidut, Talmud, davenning, evolution and cosmology, sustainability, Maimonides, Buber, and more. Rabbi Seidenberg has published widely on ecology and Judaism. He is the author of the acclaimed book Kabbalah and Ecology: God's Image in the More-Than-Human World (Cambridge U. Press, 2015). To read selections and find out about ordering the book, go to kabbalahandecology.com.
NeoHasid.org was created by Rabbi David Seidenberg to help folks integrate Chasidic song, learning, and nusach into their davenning and communities and to explore embodied Torah. It evolved to focus on eco-Torah and to share liturgy that honors our relationship with the Earth and/or expresses gender parity.
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