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My (interpretative) translations of Jewish prayer texts are intended to offer an opportunity to integrate a short pause with just a few words in Hebrew and/or German into daily life. In this example: blessings to appreciate the new morning in a Jewish way (Birchot haShachar).
| Source (Hebrew) | Adaptation (German) | Translation of Adaptation (English) |
|---|---|---|
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְוִי בִינָה לְהַבְחִין בֵּין־יוֹם וּבֵין לָיְלָה׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie die Natur unterscheidet zwischen dem Tag und der Nacht: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how nature distinguishes between day and night: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם פּוֹקֵחַ עִוְרִים׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie die Welt sich den Blinden auftut: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how the world opens up to the blind: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מַלְבִּישׁ עֲרֻמִּים׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie der Tag sich in Stimmung kleidet: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how the day dresses itself in atmosphere: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie der Mensch sich von Starrem befreit: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how people free themselves from rigidity: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם זוֹקֵף כְּפוּפִים׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie der Körper sich dem Geist zuneigt: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how the body inclines itself toward the spirit: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁעָשָׂה לִי כׇּל־צָרְכִּי׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie das Sein sich eine Form erschafft: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how being creates a form for itself: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמֵּכִין מִצְעֲדֵי־גָבֶר׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie der Schritt sich in Wege wandelt: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how the step transforms into paths: it is a blessing. |
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אוֹזֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְבוּרָה׃ |
Dass ich erlebe, wie der Anfang sich ins Jetzt einwebt: ein Segen ist‘s. |
That I experience how the beginning weaves itself into the present: it is a blessing. |
This abridged adaptation of the birkhot hashaḥr combines two separate works of Rivka Jaussi. The first: a translation of the blessing for distinguishing between day and night. The second: a series of haikus in German for seven out of the dozen or so “berakhot shenitani” (“you [Hashem] gave me”). Introducing the haiku adaptations, Rivka writes:
Source (German) Translation (English)
For a melody, Rivka Jaussi suggests: „Ha-noten la-Sechwi“ (Anshe Emet Synagogue).
Source(s)
Birchot ha-Schachar – Ha-noten laSechwi (Rivka Jaussi 2025) Birchot ha-Shachar [haikus] (Rivka Jaussi 2025)
“בְּרָכוֹת שֶׁנִּתָּנִי | Berakhot Shenitani: Dass ich erlebe — haiku adaptions of some of the morning blessings by Rivka Jaussi” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
Stable Link:
https://opensiddur.org/?p=63554
Associated Image:
Multiverse, a light sculpture by Leo Villareal featuring 41,000 computer-programmed LED nodes, located between the National Gallery of Art’s East and West Buildings, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (photo credit: AgnosticPreachersKid, license: CC BY-SA)
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Re-formatted:
ODT
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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
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