Brotherly Love, an adaptation of Psalms 133 by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1826)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), David Nunes Carvalho and Reformed Society of Israelites

Shared on:

8 October 2021 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Shaḥarit l'Shabbat ul'Yom Tov

Tags:

19th century C.E., United States, 56th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, American Jewry of the United States, American Reform Movement, South Carolina, hymns, Psalms 133, paraliturgical Psalms 133

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Source (Hebrew)	Adaptation (English)
שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃	Sweet the mutual love that’s glowing, In each brother’s conscious breast; Its gentle stream so mildly flowing, Ever blessing, ever blest. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, Amen.
כַּשֶּׁ֤מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב ׀ עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ יֹרֵ֗ד עַֽל־הַזָּקָ֥ן זְקַֽן־אַהֲרֹ֑ן שֶׁ֝יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו׃	Sweet as the fragrant balsam pouring On the pious Aaron’s head, Till the sacred vestments streaming, Round their breathing odors shed. Hallelujah, Amen.
כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֢י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן	As morning dews on Zion’s mountain, Glitter in the orient rays, Or sparkling gem the verdant cedars Hermon’s holy top displays. Hallelujah, Amen.
כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם ׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֭הֹוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה חַ֝יִּ֗ים עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם׃	To such the Lord of love and mercy Blessings ever shall extend; On earth — a life of tranquil pleasure, In heaven — a bliss that ne’er shall end. Hallelujah, Amen.

“Brotherly Love” appears as Hymn 22 in The Sabbath service and miscellaneous prayers, adopted by the Reformed society of Israelites, founded in Charleston, S.C., November 21, 1825 (1830, Bloch: 1916), p. 64. According to Isaac Harby the hymn is an adaptation of Psalms 133. Gary Zola writes that the prayer was written by David Carvalho for the Society as indicated in Abraham Moïse’s annotated copy of the 1830 prayerbook.^[1] Find, “The First Reform Prayerbook in America” (p. 116 ft. 32) in Platforms and prayer books: theological and liturgical perspectives on Reform Judaism (2002) Many thanks to the American Jewish Archives for providing access to the Carvalho Holograph, the earliest attestation we know of for this hymn. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

Brotherly Love (David Nunes Carvalho – Carvalho Holograph 1826)

Notes[+]

Notes
1	Find, “The First Reform Prayerbook in America” (p. 116 ft. 32) in Platforms and prayer books: theological and liturgical perspectives on Reform Judaism (2002)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“Brotherly Love, an adaptation of Psalms 133 by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1826)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

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.)

David Nunes Carvalho

David Nunes Carvalho (1784-1860), born and educated in London, England, was a merchant, author, and ḥazzan for the Reformed Society of Israelites in Charleston, South Carolina, the first Reform congregation in the United States. He helped to compile the first Reform prayerbook in English, the fourth oldest Reform prayerbook in the world.

Reformed Society of Israelites

The Reformed Society of Israelites (1824-1833) was a group of forty-seven congregants of Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina, who gathered in late 1824 to petition the congregation to modify the service of prayers with an adapted liturgy emphasizing English translations, original hymns, and other modifications. Among other reforms, the group called for shorter services and sermons conducted in English that would relate the weekly parashah to everyday life. Prominent leaders in the group were Isaac Harby (1788–1828), Abraham Moïse (1799-1869), and David Nunes Carvalho (1784-1860). After Harby's death in 1828, the group published a prayerbook (later reprinted by Barnett Elzas/Bloch in 1916). In 1833, the group dissolved but in rejoining Beth Elohim they also managed to succeed in their original mission in putting the congregation on a firm Reform movement trajectory.

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Print; Carvalho, Solomon Nunes; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; Charleston, South Carolina, United States; 1838_Kaplan Collection Upenn

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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