Prayer for the 7th Day of Sukkot (הושענא רבה), by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription) and Marcus Heinrich Bresslau

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27 November 2021 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Hoshana Rabbah

Tags:

19th century C.E., תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., Jewish Women's Prayers, English vernacular prayer

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	O Lord, abundant in goodness and truth! Animated with pious reflections, urged by Thy commandment to celebrate this Festival, I venture to approach Thee this day which according to custom in Israel is distinguished by sacred observances tending to impress us with our nothingness and our humbleness, like unto the willow of the brook, a symbol of plaintiveness, tears, and suffering. For what is our life, what is our strength, and what is our virtue?
	We ourselves have as little merit as that willow of the brook, which has neither taste, nor flavour, nor fragrance. Be it then a token of deep humility, to guard us against over-rating our powers, and over-valuing our merits. Be this willow a warning to us not to grow over-bearing and haughty in prosperity, not to become proud and vain in affluence; not to boast of our piety, not to land ourselves for our religious observances; nor to be intoxicated with joy during these Festivals, but to allow the injunction of the Psalmist, “serve the Lord in fear and rejoice in trembling.” (Psalms 2:11)
	Grant, therefore, O Lord, that our attention during our Service may not be distracted by worldly affairs, that our devotions may not be disturbed, that our mind be not divided between the worship of Thee and that of worldly matters.
	Grant that in our rejoicing on these Festivals at the goodness Thou hast bestowed upon us, we may tremble also at the punishment which awaits us, if we abuse Thy kindness and forbearance.
	Strengthen us, Omnipotent Father, to combine this joy and fear, so that we may not be haughty in prosperity, nor faint-hearted in adversity. But that we may be able to attain the golden medium, in order to walk straightly and uprightly in Thy ways towards the goal of life, so that we may merit the blessing of again celebrating this Festival with that joy and praise to Thee as our ancestors did in the times of Thy glorious Temple in Thy holy City. Amen.

“Prayer for the Seventh Day of Tabernacles (הושענה רבה)” by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau was first published in his תחנות בנות ישראל Devotions for the Daughters of Israel (1852), p. 37.

In his preface to Devotions, Bresslau is clear that his prayers in English were adapted from traditional teḥinot that had earlier been published in France, Germany, and Poland. If you know of a specific prayer that may have served as the basis for this one, please leave a comment or contact us.

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Prayer for the 7th Day of Sukkot (הושענא רבה), by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal 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.)

Marcus Heinrich Bresslau

Marcus Heinrich (also Mordecai Ḥayyim/Hyman/Heyman) Bresslau (ca. 1808-15 May 1864) was a Hebraist and newspaper editor. Born in Hamburg, he settled in England when young. For some time from 1834 he was Baal Ḳoreh (reader) at the Western Synagogue. He then taught Hebrew at the Westminster Jews’ Free School and went on to tutor privately. A maskil, he became involved with M. J. Raphall’s Hebrew Review and Magazine of Rabbinical Literature (1834-6). In October 1844 he was appointed editor of the relaunched Jewish Chronicle by proprietor Joseph Mitchell. Prickly and quarrelsome, he resigned in July 1848 but returned in around September. He remained until about October 1850. After Mitchell’s death in June 1854 he became proprietor (his middle name appearing as Heyman) and edited it until February 1855 when new proprietor Abraham Benisch succeeded him. Bresslau, who tried vainly to revive the Hebrew Review, wrote Hebrew poetry, produced a Hebrew grammar and a Hebrew dictionary, and translated various Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. Bresslau compiled (we think) the first compilation of teḥinot in English for women. (Much of this information via Bresslau's entry in The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History)

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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