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During the first twelve days of Nissan, there is a custom to read the portions about the twelve tribal princes who brought offerings and gifts to the holy Sanctuary. Miraculously without consulting with each other, they each brought the same gifts, but with different intentions. When we read these offerings followed by this prayer, our souls can connect to these tribes, even though we may not descend from these tribes directly (genealogically-speaking).
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| Source (Hebrew, Aramaic) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
על ניסן א׳: במדבר ז:א-יז על ניסן ב׳: במדבר ז:יח-כג על ניסן ג׳: במדבר ז:כד-כט על ניסן ד׳: במדבר ז:ל-לה על ניסן ה׳: במדבר ז:לו-מא על ניסן ו׳: במדבר ז:מב-מז על ניסן ז׳: במדבר ז:מח-נג על ניסן ח׳: במדבר ז:נד-נט על ניסן ט׳: במדבר ז:ס-סה על ניסן י׳: במדבר ז:סו-עא על ניסן יא׳: במדבר ז:עב-עז על ניסן יב׳: במדבר ז:עח-פג על ניסן יג׳: במדבר ז:פד-ח:ד |
On Nissan 1: Numbers 7:1-17 On Nissan 2: Numbers 7:18-23 On Nissan 3: Numbers 7:24-29 On Nissan 4: Numbers 7:30-35 On Nissan 5: Numbers 7:36-41 On Nissan 6: Numbers 7:42-47 On Nissan 7: Numbers 7:48-53 On Nissan 8: Numbers 7:54-59 On Nissan 9: Numbers 7:60-65 On Nissan 10: Numbers 7:66-71 On Nissan 11: Numbers 7:72-77 On Nissan 12: Numbers 7:78-83 On Nissan 13: Numbers 7:84-8:4 |
On Nissan 1-12 continue. (On Nissan 13, stop here.) | |
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי שֶׁתָּאִיר הַיוֹם בְּחַסְדְּךָ הַגָּדוֹל עַל נִשְׁמָתִין קַדִּישִׁין דְּמִתְחַדְשִׁין כְּצִפָּרִים וּמְצַפְצְפִין וּמְשַׁבְּחִין וּמְצַלְּאִין עַל עַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא יִשְׂרָאֵל. |
May it be your will, Hashem my elo’ah and elo’ah of my ancestors, that you should illuminate today with your great kindness, on the holy souls that are renewed like birds who chirp and praise and beseech on behalf of the holy nation Israel. |
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶל עוֹלָם תַּכְנִיס וּתְעַיֵיל הַנָךְ צִיפָרֵי קַדִּישֵׁי לַאֲתַר קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִיתְמַר עֲלֵייה עַיִן לֹא רָאֲתָה אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתֶךָ. (ישעיה סד:ג) |
Master of the world, bring in and elevate these holy birds to a holy place about which it is said, “No eye has ever seen beside you, Elohim.” (Isaiah 64:3) |
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי על ניסן א׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט יְהוּדָֽה על ניסן ב׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט יִשָּׂשכָֽר על ניסן ג׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט זְבוּלֻן על ניסן ד׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט רְאוּבֵן על ניסן ה׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט שִׁמְעוֹן על ניסן ו׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט גָד על ניסן ז׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט אֶפְרָיִם על ניסן ח׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט מְנַשֶּׁה על ניסן ט׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט בִנְיָמִן על ניסן י׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט דָן על ניסן יא׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט אָשֵׁר על ניסן יב׳: שֶׁבְּאִם אֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ מִשֵּׁבֶט נַפְתָּלִי שֶׁקָּרָאתִי בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ פַּרְשָׁה שֶׁל הַנָּשִׂיא הַיוֹם אֲזַי יָאִירוּ נָא עָלַי כָּל נִיצוֹצִין קַדִּישִׁין וְכָל הָאוֹרוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת הַכְּלוּלוֹת בִּקְדוּשַׁת זֶה הַשֵּׁבֶט לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ וּבְיִרְאָתֶךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ כָּל יְמֵי חַיַי אֲנִי וְזַרְעִי וְזֶרַע זַרְעִי מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם אָמֵן: |
May it be your will Hashem my elo’ah and elo’ah of my ancestors, On Nissan 1: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Yehudah On Nissan 2: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Yissakhar On Nissan 3: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Zevulun On Nissan 4: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Reuven On Nissan 5: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Shim’on On Nissan 6: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Gad On Nissan 7: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Efrayim On Nissan 8: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Menasheh On Nissan 9: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Binyamin On Nissan 10: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Dan On Nissan 11: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Asher On Nissan 12: that if I your servant come from the tribe of Naftali that I have read in your Torah, the portion of the prince of that day, then there should shine upon me all the holy sparks and all the sacred lights that are included in the sanctity of that tribe, to comprehend and discern your Torah and your Awe, to do your will all the days of my life– I and my children and my children’s children from now and forever, Amen! |
This is the nusaḥ of the daily prayer of the Nasi (“prince”) according to the custom of the ARI z”l followed by the ḤaBaD movement. For the nusaḥ found in some Sefaradi siddurim, go here. The English translation was made by Yehudis Fishman with minor edits. An unvocalized printing of the prayer can be found in Siddur Shalmei Todah haḤadash (1906), pp. 227-229. This work attributes the prayer to Rabbi Yosef Yaakov Sabatka of Dubno (1659-1702) via a manuscript copy of his Yesod Yosef. It was first put in print by his student Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover (1648-1712) in his Ḳav ha-Yashar (1705) before it was eventually disseminated via the sefer Ḥemdat Yamim. We would very much like to confirm the earliest printed (or manuscript) version of this prayer. If you know more, please leave a comment (or contact us). –Aharon Varady
Source(s)
Siddur Shalmei Todah haHadash 1906 – p. 227 Siddur Shalmei Todah haHadash 1906 – p. 228 Siddur Shalmei Todah haHadash 1906 – p. 229
“תפילה הנשיא | Yehi Ratson for the first twelve days of the month of Nisan, by Rabbi Yosef Yaakov Sabatka of Dubno (ca. late 17th c.)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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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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