[YHVH], by Israel Zangwill (1903)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Israel Zangwill

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23 January 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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Tags:

20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English poetry, English vernacular prayer, paraliturgical birkat mehayeh hametim, Prayers as poems

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	YHVH^[1] We have modified the title from that which was published, a popular vocalization of the Tetragrammaton: “Jehovah.”
מֵמִית וּמְחַיֶּה וּמַצְמִיחַ יְשׁוּעָה׃	“Destroying and making alive, and causing salvation to spring forth.” (from “Birkat Meḥayéh haMétim” in the Amidah)
	I sing the uplift and the upwelling, I sing the yearning toward the sun, And the blind sea that lifts white hands of prayer. I sing the wild battle-cry of warriors And the sweet whispers of lovers, The dear word of the hearth and the altar, Aspiration, Inspiration, Compensation, God!
	The hint of beauty behind the turbid cities. The eternal laws that cleanse and cancel. The pity through the savagery of nature, The love atoning for the brothels, The Master-Artist behind his tragedies. Creator, Destroyer, Purifier, Avenger, God!
	Come into the circle of Love and Justice, Come into the brotherhood of Pity, Of Holiness and Health! Strike out glad limbs upon the sunny waters Or be dragged down amid the rotting weeds, The festering bodies. Save thy soul from sandy barrenness. Let it blossom with roses and gleam with the living waters.
	Blame not, nor reason of your Past, Nor explain to Him your congenital weakness, But come, for He is remorseless, Call Him unjust, but come. Do not mock or defy Him, for He will prevail; He regardeth not you; He hath swallowed the worlds and the nations; He hath humor, too: disease and death for the smugly prosperous.
	For such is the Law, stern, unchangeable, shining, Making dung from souls and souls from dung, Thrilling the dust to holy, beautiful spirit, And returning the spirit to dust. Come, and ye shall know Peace and Joy, Let what ye desire of the Universe penetrate you, Let Loving-kindness and Mercy pass through you, And Truth be the law of your mouth. For so ye are channels of the divine sea. Which may not flood the earth but only steal in Through rifts in your souls.

“Ʝehovah” was written by Israel Zangwill and first published in his collection of poetry, Blind Children (1903), pp. 132-133.

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Notes

Notes
1	We have modified the title from that which was published, a popular vocalization of the Tetragrammaton: “Jehovah.”

Aharon N. Varady (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.)

Israel Zangwill

Israel Zangwill (1864–1926), born in Whitechapel, London, was a British author at the forefront of cultural Zionism during the 19th century, and was a close associate of Theodor Herzl. He later rejected the search for a Jewish homeland in Palestine and became the prime thinker behind the territorial movement.

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=65659

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Saint Mary’s Catholic Church (Pierce City, Missouri) – stained glass, Star of David and Tetragrammaton (credit: Nheyob, license: CC BY-SA)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)

[YHVH], by Israel Zangwill (1903)

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