רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים | Ribon HaOlamim, a paraliturgical reflection by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman

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Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman

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8 May 2020 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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Birkhot haShaḥar

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רבון העולמים Ribon haOlamim, English vernacular prayer, shame resilience, kabbalat ol malkhut shamayim, paraliturgical ribon haOlamim, שמע shema, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M.

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Source (Hebrew)	Paraliturgical Reflection (English)
רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים: לֹא עַל־צִדְקוֹתֵֽינוּ אֲנַֽחְנוּ מַפִּילִים תַּחֲנוּנֵֽינוּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ כִּי עַל רַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים. מָה אָֽנוּ, מֶה חַיֵּֽינוּ, מֶה חַסְדֵּֽנוּ, מַה צִּדְקֹתֵֽינוּ, מַה כֹּחֵֽנוּ, מַה גְּבוּרָתֵֽנוּ. מַה נּאֹמַר לְפָנֶֽיךָ, יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ הֲלֹא כָּל הַגִּבּוֹרִים כְּאַֽיִן לְפָנֶֽיךָ, וְאַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם כְּלֹא הָיוּ, וַחֲכָמִים כִּבְלִי מַדָּע, וּנְבוֹנִים כִּבְלִי הַשְׂכֵּל. כִּי כָּל מַעֲשֵׂינוּ תֹּהוּ וָבֹהוּ, וִימֵי חַיֵּינוּ הֶֽבֶל לְפָנֶֽיךָ. כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּדִבְרֵי קָדְשְׁךָ וּמוֹתַר הָאָדָם מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה אָֽיִן כִּי הַכֹּל הָֽבֶל. (קהלת נו:ז)	Great One of all the Worlds, I know I am not in charge. Yet I lay out my humble yearnings before you because I trust that You are a great womb of compassion. What is my life anyway? Who am I and how is it possible that I am worth anything at all? Who am I to speak to You, to let myself show up and be seen in this prayer? Even people with lots of power and wisdom are vulnerable to the difficulties of being alive. How much more so am I vulnerable! So many voices inside me say I am not worthy of love and certainly not worthy to pray to You.
אֲבָל אֲנַֽחְנוּ עַמְּךָ בְּנֵי בְרִיתֶךָ. בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם אֹהַבְךָ שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּֽעְתָּ לּוֹ בְּהַר הַמּוֹרִיָּה. זֶרַע יִצְחָק יְחִידְךָ שֶׁנֶּעֱקַד עַל גַּבֵּי מִזְבַּחֶךָ. עֲדַת יַעֲקֹב בִּנְךָ בְּכוֹרֶֽךָ, שֶׁמֵּאַהֲבָתְךָ שֶׁאָהַֽבְתָּ אוֹתוֹ, וּמִשִּׂמְחָתְךָ שֶׁשָּׂמַֽחְתָּ בּוֹ, קָרָֽאתָ אוֹתוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל וִישׁוּרוּן.	But! I am Your child, Your beloved one. I am part of a sacred story of seekers. My roots run deep into the history of my people and before that to all species from whose evolution I descend. I am part of this world, a link in the love You weave. I am worthy of connection, and it is from this total worthiness that I pray.
לְפִיכָךְ אֲנַחְנוּ חַיָּבִים לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ, וּלְשַׁבֵּחֲךָ וּלְפָאֶרְֽךָ וּלְבָרֵךְ וּלְקַדֵּשׁ וְלִתֵּן שֶֽׁבַח וְהוֹדָיָה לִשְׁמֶֽךָ.	Therefore! I feel compelled, Holy One, to speak out and praise, acknowledge, name, bless, sanctify, honor and bear witness to the presence of Spirit in the world.
אַשְׁרֵֽינוּ, מַה־טּוֹב חֶלְקֵֽנוּ, וּמַה נָּעִים גּוֹרָלֵֽנוּ, וּמַה יָּפָה יְרֻשָּׁתֵֽנוּ; אַשְׁרֵֽינוּ, שֶׁאָנוּ מַשְׁכִּימִים וּמַעֲרִיבִים עֶרֶב וָבֹקֶר וְאוֹמְרִים פַּעֲמַיִם בְּכָל יוֹם׃	Satiated with contentment – that’s how I feel when I sink into this role of mine. Satiated with contentment – that is how I feel when I declare that all is One:
שְׁמַע \| יִשְׂרָאֵל, יְיָ \| אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ, יְיָ \| אֶחָד׃ (דברים ו:ד)	Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad.^[1] Deuteronomy 6:4. Listen, All of Us Who Wrestle With Life! We belong to all Existence. All Existence is One.
בלחש: בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃	say in an undertone: Blessed is the name of the presence of Being forever and ever.
אַתָּה הוּא עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, אַתָּה הוּא מִשֶּׁנִּבְרָא הָעוֹלָם, אַתָּה הוּא בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְאַתָּה הוּא לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. קַדֵּשׁ אֶת שִׁמְךָ בָּעוֹלָמֶךָ, עַל עַם מַקְדִּשֵׁי שְׁמֶךָ, וּבִישׁוֹעָתְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ תְּרוּם וְתַגְבִּיהַּ קַרְנֵנוּ, וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ בְּקָרוֹב לְמַעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ, בָּרוּךְ הַמְקַדֵּשׁ שְׁמוֹ בָּרַבִּים׃	I get so wrapped up in my own stuff, Holy One. Help me to remember the big story I am a part of: You were before the world. You created the world. You are in this world, and You are in the world that is coming. All of Being is You, and Your desire to connect and become more conscious. I bless You, Holy One, who makes Her Holiness present in a multitude of ways.
אַתָּה הוּא יְיָ הָאֶלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, וּבִשְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַֽיִם הָעֶלְיוֹנִים, אֱמֶת אַתָּה הוּא רִאשׁוֹן, וְאַתָּה הוּא אַחֲרוֹן, וּמִבַּלְעָדֶֽיךָ אֵין אֱלֹהִים. קַבֵּץ נְפוּצוֹת קוֶֹיךָ מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ, יַכִּירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם, כִּי אַתָּה־הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים לְבַדְּךָ לְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת הָאָרֶץ. אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ, (II Kings 19:15) אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם, וּמִי בְּכׇל מַעֲשֵֹה יָדֶֽיךָ בָּעֶלְיוֹנִים וּבַתַּחְתּוֹנִים, שֶׁיּֽאֹמַר לְךָ: מַה תַּעֲשֶֹה וּמַה תִּפְעָל?	Supernal Loving One, deal with me compassionately as I walk on Your earth and under Your skies. Help me hear and know Your great name.
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַֽיִם, חַי וְקַיָּם, עֲשֵֹה עִמָּֽנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד בַּעֲבוּר שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא שֶׁנִּקְרָא עָלֵינוּ, וְקַיֶּם לָנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר שֶׁהִבְטַחְתָּנוּ עַל יְדֵי צְפַנְיָה חוֹזָךְ כָּאָמוּר: בָּעֵת הַהִיא אָבִיא אֶתְכֶם, וּבָעֵת קַבְּצִי אֶתְכֶם, כִּי־אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם לְשֵׁם וְלִתְהִלָּה בְּכֹל עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ, בְּשׁוּבִי אֶת־שְׁבוּתֵיכֶם לְעֵינֵיכֶם, אָמַר יְיָ׃ (Zephaniah 3:20)	Holy One, please uphold the promise of bringing me close to You, Of gathering me to You, Of blanketing me with confidence and pride in the warm truth of my own life While being in humble relationship to You.

Rabbi Shoshana Meira’s paraliturgical interpretation of Ribon haOlamim (a/k/a kabbalat ol malkhut shamayim), was first published in her Siddur v’lo Nevosh (2014). Linear correspondence between the Hebrew source and the English by Aharon Varady.

Source(s)

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Deuteronomy 6:4.

. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike . 4.0 . International .

“רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים | Ribon HaOlamim, a paraliturgical reflection by Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman

Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman is the Associate Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts. She feels blessed to serve this vibrant community through building personal relationships, teaching Torah, innovating new engagement initiatives, working for justice, and leading prayer. Rabbi Shoshana is a leader in the interfaith climate justice movement in New England. She and her husband Yotam Schachter co-wrote The Tide Is Rising, an anthem for the climate movement that has been sung in congregations, climate rallies, and gatherings in the US, Brazil, Denmark, and France.In other pursuits, she has released an album of original music called Guesthouse, clowned for hospitalized children, tended a community garden, and written poetry. Her publications include pieces in the Huffington Post and the Harvard Divinity Bulletin, and she has written an interpretive translation of the weekday prayer service called Siddur V'lo Nevosh: Jewish Prayer as Shame Resilience Practice.Rabbi Shoshana was ordained at Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and is a graduate of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, JOIN For Justice, and Oberlin College of Arts & Sciences where she was also a Henry David Thoreau Scholar. She grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and lives in Jamaica Plain with Yotam and their dog Lulu. For sermons, publications, music, and activism visit www.rabbishoshana.com.

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Works of related interest:

Blue and white synagogue tile decorated with Moorish arch and floral motif and inscribed with the Hebrew word אתה “atah” (you), Morocco, 18th century. This tile is most likely from one of the four imperial cities: Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, or Rabat. Original record notes that this tile came from a Moroccan synagogue. Possibly from the formula “barukh atah bevo’echa uvarukh ata btsetekha” (ברוך אתה בבואך וברוך אתה בצאתך), Deuteronomy 28:6; cf. tiled inscriptions in Lazama synagogue, Marrakech. (From the Magnes Museum collection, Tile [77-275].)

רבון העולמים | Ribon HaOlamim from the Seder Tefilot of the RaMBaM in MS Constantinople 1509

"Tea bowl fixed in the Kintsugi method" (Public Domain). Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer resin dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

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“Tea bowl fixed in the Kintsugi method” (Public Domain). Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer resin dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

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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