Contributor(s): Shared on: 8 May 2023 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Categories: Tags: Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
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A prayer for the Sabbath eve. | |
Almighty Father,—
I thank Thee with all my heart
for having appointed for us this Sabbath Eve.
It is a time,
when the troubles of the week being ended,
I may rejoice and be glad
in Thy Holy Name. | |
O Lord,
make me always love and honour the Sabbath Eve.
Let me feel the influence of its sweet peace,
and let me never do anything to profane it. | |
I am in the midst of my family;
with them I pray and sing unto Thee.
With them I approach Thy throne
and humbly ask for Thy blessing. | |
O Lord,
turn me not away empty.
Grant that Thy fatherly love
may enter into my soul,
and that I may feel the full strength and courage
which comes from perfect trust in Thee. | |
Lord, Who art the God of truth,
clear away mists from my eyes.
Let me see life as it really is,
and not try to walk in a vain show.
It is on the Sabbath Eve,
more perhaps than at any other time,
that I feel a great longing to commune with Thee.
Do not let me waste these blessed moments,
and, O God of Light,
cause Thy countenance to shine upon me
and I shall have peace. | |
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him with rejoicing. (Psalms 100:2) | |
So shalt Thou find favour and good repute
in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:4) |
“A Prayer for the Sabbath Eve” was written by Lilian Helen Montagu and published in Prayers for Jewish Working Girls (1895), page 17. Source(s)
 The Hon. Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE (22 December 1873 – 22 January 1963) was the first woman to play a major role in Progressive Judaism. Until the age of 15, she was educated at Doreck College, and privately educated thereafter. In 1893 she founded with Emily Marion Harris the West Central Jewish Girls Club (which subsequently merged into the Jewish Girls' Brigade). She was active in social improvement, particularly in respect to unemployment, sweat shops and bad housing. In 1901 and 1902, Montagu laid the groundwork for the establishment of the Jewish Religious Union in London. In February 1902 she arranged the first meeting of the Jewish Religious Union for the Advancement of Liberal Judaism at her sister Henrietta Franklin's house. The Union set up the first synagogue in Liberal Judaism in the UK and helped found the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Montagu was a founding member with her sister of the Jewish League for Woman Suffrage. She sat on the executive committee and led the meetings in prayer. Following the retirement of Leo Baeck, Montagu served for a brief stint (1955–1959) in her 80s as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, before handing the reins over to Solomon Freehof. 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.)
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