Night Prayer (CCAR 1923)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown and Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

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

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20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Before Sleep, English vernacular prayer, night, teḥinot in English

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	Tremble and sin not, commune with your own hearts upon your beds and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. (Psalms 4:5-6)
	Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you that ye arise early and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of toil. So He giveth unto His beloved in sleep. (Psalms 127:1-2)
	For His anger is but for a moment; His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalms 30:6)
	Into Thy hand I commit my spirit. Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Thou God of Truth. (Psalms 31:6)
	I lay me down and I sleep. I awake for the Lord sustaineth me. (Psalms 3:6)
	He is the living God to save My Rock while sorrow’s toils endure. My banner and my stronghold sure The cup of life whene’er I crave. I place my soul within His palm, Before I sleep and when I wake; And though my body I forsake Rest in the Lord in fearless calm. (lines from “Adon Olam,” as translated by Israel Zangwill)
	Night has fallen and the noises of the day are stilled. Toil has been laid aside and man retires to rest. Now that the tumult of the day has ceased, he can hear again the still voice of God; and before the mind sinks into sleep, man can find in the serene presence of the Almighty, a precious moment of quiet contemplation.
	The close of the day invites our meditations, for now we can judge ourselves calmly. We have labored arduously during the daylight hours. What have we achieved? Have all our strivings brought us nearer to the haven which we sought? There has been much to do, but how small have been our powers! We see clearly that, alone, we are weak; that unless the Lord build the house we labor in vain. Yet we know that with the right hand of the Lord to help us we can do valiantly. We must trust in Him and pray that He sustain us.
	Perhaps at this eventide we are regretfully reviewing a day misspent; energies squandered in trivial occupations; opportunities for usefulness and righteousness ignored and lost. Yet even the disappointments of such a retrospect need not bring despair, for we may find strength in the assurance that tomorrow God will awaken us to new opportunities and new power. Though weeping may tarry for the night, joy cometh in the morning.
	Such shall be the communion of our hearts as we turn away from the accomplishments or the regrets of the day, humbly yet bravely, and face without terror the mysteries of the night. We commit our spirits into the care of our Father. When the Lord is with us we have no fear.
	Lord of the spirits of all flesh, a thousand years are but as a day in Thy sight. The days of my life are as a fleeting shadow. Yet it is Thy will that I live my brief moment of life in accordance with Thy law, in righteousness and in truth. Thou dost bid us number our days that we may acquire a heart of wisdom. Therefore I lay before Thee the work of the day that has past. Judge Thou the toil of Thy child. All secrets of my heart, all my frustrated strivings after Thee, Thou knowest. Be Thou merciful unto me.
	In the sight of men I may be accounted worthy. They may speak of my achievements and assure me of my success. But in Thy presence I am humble. Weak is my strength, uncertain my resolution, and my accomplishments insignificant.
	Source of all power, sustain me. Renew my strength and purify my heart to serve Thee in truth.
	The day that has passed has been full of temptations. I have yielded to numberless distractions, and forgotten Thy law. I have fallen into the petty thralldom of little sins, evasions and indulgences.
	Deliver me, O Lord. Let the night’s rest restore me. Into Thy hand I commit my spirit, and trust in Thee. Thou wilt redeem me, O God of Truth. Amen.

“Night Prayer” is the fiftieth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 164-166. Unfortunately, we do not yet know of a resource providing clear attribution of authorship for any of the prayers in this volume.

Source(s)

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.)

Unknown

Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.

Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada.

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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)

Night Prayer (CCAR 1923)

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