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Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” “God” is used to translate the divine name Elohim. This translation also uses the plural pronouns They/Their/Them to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.)
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
אֲבָרֵךְ לְמַלְכִּי בְּנֹעַם חִכִּי גּוֹי קָדוֹשׁ הַמְלִיכִי דָּתוֹ בְּסִינַי חַנְּכִי וְהַשְּׁמִיעִי אָֽנֹכִ֖י׃ הֵן לָעַד נְיַחֲלְךָ וּבַכֹּל נְהַלֶּלְךָ זִיהַרְתָּֽנוּ זָר לֹֽ֣א־יִהְיֶ֥͏ֽה־לְךָ֛֩ חָנַנְתָּֽנוּ בְּמִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה נַקְרִיב לְךָ׃ כַּכָּתוּב — וּבְי֣וֹם הַבִּכּוּרִ֗ים בְּהַקְרִ֨יבְכֶ֜ם מִנְחָ֤ה חֲדָשָׁה֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּשָׁבֻעֹ֖תֵיכֶ֑ם מִֽקְרָא־קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם כׇּל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת עֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֥א תַעֲשֽׂוּ׃ (במדבר כח:כו) וְנֶאֱמַר — פּוֹתֵ֥חַ אֶת־יָדֶ֑ךָ וּמַשְׂבִּ֖יעַ לְכׇל־חַ֣י רָצֽוֹן׃ (תהלים קמה:טז) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַזָּן אֶת־הַכֹּל׃ |
I will bless my Sovereign with the sweetness of my palate. Holy nation, acknowledge as sovereign! Their law at Sinai They taught me and made me hear, “I am!” Aye, forever we hope in You, and in all, we will praise You. You warned us: “A foreign god thou shalt not have.” You graced us with a new gift-offering we will give to You. As it is written — “And on the day of the first-fruits, when you offer a new gift-offering to the Cause, in your Weeks, a holy event you shall have, no laborious work shall you do.” (Numbers 28:26) And said — “You open Your hand and sate all life as You will.” (Psalms 145:16) Blessed are You, Cause, who sustains all. |
טוֹבִים אֳמָרֶֽיךָ וּבָם נִתְעַלְּסָה יָהּ מִמָּרוֹם עָלֵֽינוּ חֽוּסָה כְּפָצִֽיתָ בַּסִּינַי לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א לְשָׁוְאוֹ שֵׁם אֵל רָם וְנָשָׂא׃ מִמָּרוֹם הִשְׁמַעְתָּֽנוּ אָיֹם נֹֽעַם זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם סוֹבְלֶֽיךָ לִמְאוֹד תְּכַבֵּד עַל־אֶֽרֶץ דָּת וּבְרִית תַּֽתָּה מִצְוַת כַּבֵּ֥ד׃ כַּכָּתוּב — כַּבֵּ֣ד אֶת־יְ֭הֹוָה מֵהוֹנֶ֑ךָ וּ֝מֵרֵאשִׁ֗ית כׇּל־תְּבוּאָתֶֽךָ׃ (משלי ג:ט) וְנֶאֱמַר — וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃ (דברים ח:י) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה עַל הָאָרֶץ וְעַל הַמָּזוֹן׃ |
Good are Your sayings and in them we will have pleasure. O Yah on High, have mercy on us! Just as You proclaimed on Sinai, “Do not take in vain the name of the High and Exalted God.” From on High You, Awesome One, made us hear the sweetness of “Remember the day…” You bore us to greatness, You are honored. For the land of law and covenant You gave the the commandment of “honor…” As it is written — “Honor the Cause with your property, with the first of all your crop.” (Proverbs 3:9) And said — “And you will eat and be sated and bless the Cause your God over the good land given you.” (Deuteronomy 8:10) Blessed are You, Cause, for the land and for the sustenance. |
פֹּֽעַל בִּדְמוּת לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖͏ֽח צִוָּה וְהִזְהִיר דּוֹדִי צַח׃ קָצַף מִמְּךָ הִרְחִיק וְאַף רָם נָם וּבְחֵיק נָכְרִיָּה לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָ֑͏ֽף׃ שׇׁרְשָׁךְ לָעַד יָנוּב אִם לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃ שָׁוְא לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה וְרָעָה אֵלֶֽיךָ לֹא־תְּאֻנֶּה׃ תִּתְאַוֶּה אִם לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד וְתֵהָנֶה וְעִם־עוֹלָה רְגָלִים תִּמְנֶה׃ כַּכָּתוּב — שָׁל֣וֹשׁ פְּעָמִ֣ים ׀ בַּשָּׁנָ֡ה יֵרָאֶ֨ה כׇל־זְכוּרְךָ֜ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בַּמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְחָ֔ר בְּחַ֧ג הַמַּצּ֛וֹת וּבְחַ֥ג הַשָּׁבֻע֖וֹת וּבְחַ֣ג הַסֻּכּ֑וֹת וְלֹ֧א יֵרָאֶ֛ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה רֵיקָֽם׃ (דברים ט:טז) וְנֶאֱמַר – בּוֹנֵ֣ה יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֣ם יְהֹוָ֑ה נִדְחֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל יְכַנֵּֽס׃ (תהלים קמז:ב) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה בּוֹנֶה בְרַחֲמָיו יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אָמֵן׃ |
A deed in the form of “You shall not murder” my ruddy beloved commanded and clarified. Enraged at us, withdrawing and angry, quoth the High: “And in the lap of a foreigner you shall not commit adultery. Your root will eternally flourish if you do not steal. Do not testify falsely and evil will not be caused you. What you desire, if you do not covet it, you will enjoy, and with a whole-burnt festival offering you will count.” As it is written — “Three times in the year all your men will be seen before the face of the CAUSE your God in the place They choose: on the festival of Flatbread, the festival of Weeks, and the festival of Shelters; and you shall not be seen before the Cause your God empty-handed. (Deuteronomy 16:16) And said — “Rebuilder of Jerusalem is the Cause, gathering the exiles of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) Blessed are You, Cause, who mercifully rebuilds Jerusalem, amen. |
This is a reconstruction of a liturgy for a Birkat haMazon for Shavuot witnessed in the Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 (page 4, recto and verso).
Source(s)
Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 (4r) Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 (4v)
“ברכת המזון לשבועות | Birkat haMazon for Shavuot, according to the Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 vocalized and translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 (4r)
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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
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