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| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
אָכֵן ה׳, ”אֵל מִסְתַּתֵּר“ אַתָּה (ישעיה מה:טו). כׇּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מַפְלִיאִים הֵם, אֲשֶׁר תִּקְצַר דַּעַת הָאָדָם מִלַּהֲבִינָם. אֲבָל הַפֶּלֶא הַגָּדוֹל, אֲשֶׁר מִשְׁתָּאֶה וּמִשׁתּוֹמֶמֶת אֲנִי עָלָיו – בְּיוֹתֵר, הוּא הַעֲלָמְךְ וְהֶסְתֵּרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה מִסְתַּתֵּר מִפְּנֵי יוֹשְׁבֵי חָלֶד. הֲלֹא הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ אַתָּה מָלֵא, בְּכׇל דּוֹמֵם, צוֹמֵחַ וְחַי כְּבוֹדֶךָ שׁוֹכֵן, וְאַף אֶת הַחֹמֶר מֵאַיִן בָּרָאתָ, וּמֵאֱלוֹקוּת גָּלִית. לָכֵן, כׇּל הַמְּצִיאוּת רַק הֶאָרַת מְצִיאוּתְךְ הִיא, וְגַם אֲנִי, כָּמוֹנִי – כְּמוֹהֶם, בִּלְתֶּךָ לֹא נִמְצֵאתִי, וְזוּלָּתֶךָ, אַיִן וְאֶפֶס אֲנִי. אַתָּה מַקִּיף וּמְמַלֵּא אוֹתָנוּ, וְאִם כׇּל זֶה, סְתוּמִים עֵינֵינוּ מִלִּרְאוֹתֶךָ, וּכְעִוְּרִים אָנוּ מְגַשְּׁשִׁים, וְשׁוֹאֲלִים – אַיֵּה מְקוֹם כְּבוֹדְךָ, אֲשֶׁר לֵית אַתָר דְּפָנוּי מִנָּךְ וְאֵין פִּנָּה וְזָוִית שֶׁלֹּא נִמְצֵאת בּוֹ. |
Yes, it is true Hashem, you are the “El who hides.” (Isaiah 45:15) All of your ways are wondrous, and Man’s intellect is too limited to comprehend them. But the greatest wonder of all, about which I am most astounded and bewildered, is your hiddenness, your concealment with which you hide yourself from creation. Why, you fill heaven and earth, your Presence rests within every inanimate object, flora and fauna, and every living creature. You created physicality from Nothingness, revealed it from within your divinity. Therefore, all reality is but a ray of the Reality of you. I, too, am like the other creatures — without you, I would not exist. Without you, I am absolutely naught. You surround us, you fill us, and yet – we stumble around like the blind, and we ask, “Where is the place of your kavod?” — despite the fact that there is no place devoid of you, no corner or crevice where you are not to be found. |
אָנָּא ה׳, אֵין סוֹף וְאֵין תַּכְלִית, לְעֵלָּא מִכׇּל שְׁמֳהֳן וְכִנּוּין, עָשִׂיתָ מַלְבּוּשׁ לִכְבוֹדְךָ וְקָרָאתָ אֶת שְׁמוֹ ”עוֹלָם“ — עוֹלָם אֲצִילוּת, בְּרִיאָה, יְצִירָה, עֲשִׂיָּה. וּבוֹ נִתְלַבַּשְׁתָּ וְנָכַסְתָּ. וְכֹה גָּדוֹל הַהֶסְתֵּר, עַד שֶׁיֵּשׁ אֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְדָעוּךָ, וְרַבִּים מֵהֶם אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכְּחוּ אֵיךְ הֵם שְׁקוּעִים תָּמִיד בְּאֱלוֹקוּתְךָ, אַף בְּשָׁכְבָם וּבְקוּמָם. וְלֹא יָדְעוּ שֶׁאַף בְּלֶכְתָּם בַּבָּיִת וּבַחוּץ, בְּתוֹך אֱלוֹקוּת הַמְּמַלֵּא אֶת כׇּל הָעוֹלָם וּמְלוֹאוֹ הֵם הוֹלְכִים. |
Please, Hashem, Ein sof — Infinite One — with no end, you who are above all Names and titles. You created a garment for your kavod and called its name “world”; the worlds of Atsilut, Beriyah, Yetsirah, and Asiyah, with which you clothed and adorned yourself. The concealment is so great that there are people who do not know you. Many forget that they are constantly immersed in divinity, even when they awake and when they lay down to sleep. They do not know that even when they walk in their houses or in the street, they are in fact walking through your divinity that fills the entire world and everything in it. |
אָנָּא ה׳ פּוֹקֵחַ עִוְרִים, (תהלים קמו:ח) פְּקַח נָא אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם וְלִבָּם וְיִרְאוּ כִּי אֵין עוֹד זוּלָתְךָ. לֹא בִּלְבַד שֶׁאֵין אֶלֹקִים זוּלָתְךָ, רַק שֶׁאֵין שׁוּם מְצִיאוּת כִּי אִם מְצִיאוּתְךָ. וְכׇל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם בָּעוֹלָם, הֵן בְּמַעֲשֶׂה, הֵן בְּדִּבּוּר וְהֵן בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה, הַכֹּל עִנְיָן עֲבוֹדָה אֱלֹקִית הִיא, ”וְאַל יִשְׁעוּ בְּדִבְרֵי שָׁקֶר“… (שמות ה:ט) וְאִם עוֹד לֹא זָכוּ לְהִיוֹת מֵרוֹאֵי פְּנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ, אָז אַתָּה בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הֲבִינָם, עַד שֶׁיַּדְעוּ עכ״פ בְּדַעְתָּם שֶׁכׇּל הַהֶסְתֵּר הוּא רַק מִצִּדָּם. |
Please Hashem, ‘Who opens the eyes of the blind’, (Psalms 146:8) open up their eyes and hearts and let them see that there is nothing aside from you. Not simply that there is no other divinity aside from you. But that there is no reality apart from the Reality of you. And that all of their deeds in this world, whether their actions, speech, or thoughts — everything is the work of divinity. “Let them not be swayed with words of falsehood”… (Exodus 5:9) And if they have not yet merited to be among those who frequent the king’s court, then you, in your great mercy, grant them understanding so that they should at least come to the awareness that the concealment is only subjective — from their side. |
”אַתָּה נִגְלֵית בַּהֲדַר כְּבוֹדֶךָ“ עַל כׇּל הָעוֹלָם, וְרַק הֵם הַמֻּכִּיס בְּסַנְוֵרִים רוֹאִים אֶת הַהֶאָרָה הָאֱלֹקִית – לְעוֹלָם חָמְרִי. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לַנֶּאֱמָן בַּיִת ”כִּי לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם“, (שמות לג:כ) הַחִסָּרוֹן הוּא רַק בְּאֲדָם, שֶׁהוּא אֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה אֶת הָאֱמֶת וְאֶת הָעוֹלָם הָרוּחָנִי וְאֶת הַהֶאָרָה אֱלֹקִית, רַק חֲמָרָיו. חָקוּק זֹאת עַל לוּחַ לִבָּם, וְיֵבוֹשׁוּ מִמְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אַף דְּבָרִים נְמוּכִים, לֹא לְבַד עֲבֵרוֹת. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אַחַר קַבָּלַת הַתּוֹרָה, וּבְהַגְלוֹתְךָ לְעֵינֵי כׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל ”וּבַעֲבוּר תִּהְיֶה יִרְאָתוֹ עַל פְּנֵיכֶם לְבִלְתִּי תֶחֱטָאוּ“ (שמות כ:י) – לֹא רַק מֵעֲבִירוֹת תִּתְרַחֲקוּ. אֶלָּא ”לְבִלְתִּי תֶּחֱטָאוּ“, אַף מִדְּבָרִים נְמוּכִים שֶׁאֵין חֶטְאָם מְפֹרָשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, תִּשְׁמְרוּ ע״י הַבּוּשָׁה מִמֶּלֶךָ עוֹלָמִים. |
“You revealed yourself with the splendor of your kavod“[1] Adapting the text from the beginning of the Shofarot portion of the Rosh haShanah 1st day musaf, אַתָּה נִגְלֵיתָ בַּעֲנַן כְּבוֹדֶךָ (“You were revealed in Your cloud of glory”), a reference to the Theophany on Mt. Sinai. upon the entire world. It is only they, who are smitten with blindness, who perceive this divine revelation as a material world. It is as you said to Mosheh Rabbeinu, “for Man shall not see”; (Exodus 33:20) the lack is only “in man”, it is he who does not see the truth – the spirituality of the world and its divine illumination, only its materiality. Engrave this on their hearts and let them be ashamed to engage in lowly activities, let alone sinful behavior. As Mosheh Rabbeinu told am Yisrael after Ḳabbalat haTorah and your revelation before the nation, “in order so that awe shall be on your faces so that you shall not stray” (Exodus 20:10) — not only should they stay far away from aveirot, “so that you shall not stray”; you should even guard against lowly behaviors which are not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, by way of your shame before the King of the world. |
וְגַם לִי עַבְדְּךָ (פב״פ), תִּכְלֹל בִּישׁוּעַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְגַם עָלַי יִזְרַח אוֹרְךָ וּקְדֻשָּׁתְךָ שֶׁאַתָּה מֵאִיר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּנֶיךָ, וְאֶזְכֶּה לְמְצֹא אֶת אָבִי שֶׁהִתְחַבֵּא מִמֶּנִּי. וְכֵן תְּעוֹרֵר בְּטוּבְךָ אֶת נַפְשִׁי, רוּחִי וְנִשְׁמָתִי, שֶׁיִּתְלַהֲבוּ וְיִתְפַּעֲלוּ תָּמִיד בִּתְשׁוּקִין וְכִסּוּפִין נִגְלִים לְךָ, ה׳. כִּי זֶהוּ הַיְּסוֹד וְהָעִקָּר, לְהַעֲבִיר עֵינַי מַרְאוֹת שָׁוְא (עי” תהלים קיט:לז), וִיקֻיַּם בִּי ”וְהָיוּ עֵינֶיךָ רֹאוֹת אֶת מוֹרֶיךָ“ (עי” רש״י במדבר כג:כג). אָמֵן |
And so for me, your servant (insert your name, son of your mother’s name here), let me be included in the salvation of am Yisrael. Shine also upon me your Light and Holiness, which you shine upon all of your children, Yisrael. And let me merit to find my Father who is hiding from me. And so, in your Goodness, awaken my heart, my spirit, and my soul, that I should be in a state of rapture and wonder, constantly yearning with revealed longing toward you, Hashem. For this is the foundation and the primary principle, “avert my eyes from seeing folly.”[2] Cf. Psalms 119:37. And let the verse be fulfilled through me, “and your eyes should behold your Teacher”[3] Cf. Rashi on Numbers 23:23. . Amen. |
This is a prayer offered by the Piacezna Rebbe, Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (1889-1943) and likely written down sometime in the 1920s before it was printed among other letters and writings in his sefer Derekh haMelekh (1931). The prayer, vocalized from the 2011 Feldheim edition and translated into English, was circulated online via the Lost Princess Initiative of Rabbi Yaakov Klein (Eilecha) beginning 25 May 2023. At his Facebook page, Rabbi Klein writes,
A few Shabbosim ago, I was learning from sefer Derech HaMelech from the Piacezner Rebbe Hy”d and found a letter the tzaddik wrote to the boys in his yeshiva. In that letter, he records a tefillah which he encourages them to say regularly. As I read this prayer, I felt something so deep inside of my neshama. I wanted to share that experience with all of you, and so I have done my best to translate it here.
For the prayer in its original context, find מאמר חינוכי שנכתב לתלמידי הישיבה תלמיד ותיק (“Lectures, Articles and Epistles, Essay on Education”) as published in Derekh haMelekh. (I found it in both the Feldheim edition from 2011 and in the 1991 editions published.) The exact date is not provided in the letter containing the prayer. If you know an exact date for this prayer or any other contextual information concerning it, please leave a comment, or contact us.
I have transcribed the text of the prayer from the graphic and set the translation side-by-side with its corresponding phrase in a linear style, making several small changes to the translation, replacing “Glory” with kavod and ‘G-dliness’ with ‘divinity.’ I have also added a few biblical citations that had not before been provided. –Aharon Varady
Source(s)
Baqashah of the Esh Qodesh (Yaakov Klein/Eilecha, May 2023) Baqashah – Derekh haMelekh (K.K. Shapira ca 1920s, Feldheim 2011) p. 635 Baqashah – Derekh haMelekh (K.K. Shapira ca 1920s, Feldheim 2011) p. 636
Notes
“אָכֵן ה׳ | Akhen Hashem, a baqashah of Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (ca. 1920s)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Piaseczno w gm. Czaplinek. (credit: MOs810, license: CC BY-SA)
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The Open Siddur Project is a volunteer-driven, non-profit, non-commercial, non-denominational, non-prescriptive, gratis & libre Open Access archive of contemplative praxes, liturgical readings, and Jewish prayer literature (historic and contemporary, familiar and obscure) composed in every era, region, and language Jews have ever prayed. Our goal is to provide a platform for sharing open-source resources, tools, and content for individuals and communities crafting their own prayerbook (siddur). Through this we hope to empower personal autonomy, preserve customs, and foster creativity in religious culture.
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
![Blue and white synagogue tile decorated with Moorish arch and floral motif and inscribed with the Hebrew word אתה “atah” (you), Morocco, 18th century. This tile is most likely from one of the four imperial cities: Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, or Rabat. Original record notes that this tile came from a Moroccan synagogue. Possibly from the formula “barukh atah bevo’echa uvarukh ata btsetekha” (ברוך אתה בבואך וברוך אתה בצאתך), Deuteronomy 28:6; cf. tiled inscriptions in Lazama synagogue, Marrakech. (From the Magnes Museum collection, Tile [77-275].)](https://opensiddur.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/4715290282-39071aaeb8-o-e1730011803183-250x250.png)
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