Beruria, an ode to the sage by Lise Tarlau (1907)
Contributed on: 25 Dec 2022 by
❧“Beruria” by Lisa Tarlau is an eponymous ode provided as the preface to Rabbi Max Grunwald’s anthology of Jewish women’s prayer, Beruria: Gebet- und Andachtsbuch für jüdische Frauen und Mädchen (1907), pages v-viii. . . .
Betrachtung, wenn der Neumond eingesegnet wird | Prayer on the Sabbath Prior to the New Moon, by Fanny Schmiedl-Neuda (1855)
Contributed on: 18 Mar 2018 by
❧This is Prayer for the Shabbat preceding the New Moon (Shabbat Mevorkhim) included by Fanny Schmiedl Neuda in her collection of teḥinot in vernacular German, Stunden der Andacht (1855). Fanny Neuda likely either composed or translated this teḥinah into German (from Yiddish) while performing in the capacity of firzogerin (precentress) of the weibershul (women’s gallery) in her husband’s synagogue in Loštice, Bohemia. . . .
Bible Thoughts for Every and Any Day, by Rabbi Clifton Harby Levy (1927)
Contributed on: 19 Apr 2023 by
❧“Bible Thoughts for every and any day” by Rabbi Clifton Harby Levy are a selection of biblical verses he added to The Helpful Manual (Centre of Jewish Science, 1927), pp. 28-31, ostensibly for use in healthful spiritual contemplation. . . .
פסוקים לשנת תשע”ט | Biblical Phrases for 5779, by Daniel Matt
Contributed on: 09 Sep 2018 by
❧As many of you know, there is a custom to indicate the Hebrew year with a verse (or part of a verse) that is equal to that year in gematria. Such words or phrases are called chronograms. The practice of indicating the year by a biblical phrase was often followed in traditional sefarim, on tombstones, and more recently has appeared in written correspondence and email. It’s a nice way to give added meaning to the current year. Here are some biblical phrases that equal תשע”ט 779. . . .
💬 The Bill of Rights of the United States (1791, with translations in Hebrew and Yiddish by Judah David Eisenstein 1891)
Contributed on: 04 Jul 2023 by
❧The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America, were first adopted in 1791. They were closely modeled on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Declaration of Rights drafted by George Mason in May 1776. This translation, by Judah David Eisenstein was published in 1891. . . .
Sandalphon, a poem concerning the angel by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1858)
Contributed on: 05 Jun 2013 by
❧The poem, “Sandalphon,” as composed by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807 – 1882) and completed January 18, 1858, first published in Birds of Passage (1858), section “Flight the First,” page 62. . . .
בִּרְכָּת הָבָּיִת | Birkat haBayit (Blessing for the Home)
Contributed on: 18 Nov 2015 by
❧The Birkat Habayit is perhaps the most popular blessing in the Jewish world, appearing as a hanging amulet inside the entrance of many houses of Jews of all streams. I have added niqud to the blessing and I am very grateful to Gabriel Wasserman for his corrections to my vocalization. . . .
בִּרְכָּת הַמַּפִּיל | Birkat haMapil, rhymed translation by Alice Lucas (1898)
Contributed on: 13 Mar 2021 by
❧A rhymed paraliturgical translation of the prayer over sleeping. . . .
ברכת המזון | Thanks for the Food, an interpretive translation of the Birkat Hamazon by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Contributed on: 16 Nov 2014 by
❧The style by which Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l translated Jewish liturgy in English was neither literal nor idiomatic, but highly interpretive and interspersed with his own ḥiddushim (innovations). Showing Reb Zalman’s translation side-by-side with the Jewish liturgy helps to illuminate his understanding of the liturgy — it’s deeper meaning as well as how it might be communicated to a contemporary audience. In the version I have prepared below, I have set the interpretive translation of Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l side-by-side with the liturgical Hebrew that may have inspired it. In several places, Reb Zalman’s formulation departs from the traditional Ashkenazi nusaḥ. Where there is no Hebrew, we can more easily observe where Reb Zalman has expanded upon the blessing. Still, my work was not exhaustive and I appreciate any corrections to the nusaḥ (liturgical custom) of the Hebrew that may have inspired Reb Zalman’s interpretation in English. . . .
Birthday Meditation, by Grace Aguilar (1838)
Contributed on: 06 May 2023 by
❧“Birthday Meditation” (1838) by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Sabbath Thoughts and Sacred Communings (1853), pp. 130-132. . . .
Birthday Prayer, by Julia M. Cohen (1907)
Contributed on: 10 Jun 2023 by
❧This “Birthday Prayer” is found in Julia M. Cohen’s The children’s Psalm-book, a selection of Psalms with explanatory comments, together with a prayer-book for home use in Jewish families (1907), pp. 304-305. . . .
Birthday Prayer, by Lilian Helen Montagu (1895)
Contributed on: 07 May 2023 by
❧“Birthday Prayer” was written by Lilian Helen Montagu and published in Prayers for Jewish Working Girls (1895), pp. 29-30. . . .
בְּנדּיגֿ טוּ שַנט…קִי פִֿיש מִי פְינַה | Blessed are you…who made me a woman, a variation of the morning blessing for Jewish women in Judeo-Provençal (ca. 14-15th c.)
Contributed on: 06 Oct 2021 by
❧From the Morning Blessings (Birkhot ha-Shaḥar) of the Seder tefilot be-targum le-Shuʾadit [סדר תפילות בתרגום לשואדית], a translation of the Siddur into Judaeo-Provençal dating from the 14th-15th century providing the following blessing for women. . . .
בִּרְכָּת הַמַּפִּיל | Blessing at Bed Time (for children), a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This rhyming translation and paraphrase of the blessing at bedtime (birkat hamapil) was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), pp. 89-90. . . .
עַל מִקְרָא מְגִלָּה | Blessing before Megillat Esther on Purim, a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 14 Jun 2023 by
❧This translation and supplement for the blessing before listening to Megilat Esther on Purim was made by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 48. . . .
לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל חֲנֻכָּה | Blessing for Ḥanukkah, a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 14 Jun 2023 by
❧This rhyming paraphrase and translation of the blessing over the lighting of the Ḥanukkiah was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 31. . . .
הַמוֹצִיא לֶֽחֶם מִן הָאֲרֶץ | Blessing on Breaking Bread, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing before eating bread was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 82. . . .
שֶׁכֹּחוֹ וּגְבוּרָתוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם | Blessing on Hearing Thunder, a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing upon hearing thunder was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 87. . . .
שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ | Blessing on Partaking [all other] Food, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing before eating all other foods (besides bread, fruits, vegetation and vegetables) was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 85. . . .
עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה בְרֵאשִׁית | Blessing on Seeing Lightning, a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing upon seeing lightning was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 88. . . .
עַל נְטִילַת יָדָֽיִם | Blessing on Washing the Hands, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing over hand washing was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 81. . . .
בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֵץ | Blessing Over Fruit, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing before eating fruit of trees was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 83. . . .
עַל נְטִילַת לוּלָב | Blessing Over the Lulav, a rhyming translation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This rhyming paraphrase of the blessing before waving the lulav on Sukkot was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 17. . . .
בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה | Blessing Over Vegetables, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing before eating vegetation, vegetables, and fruit of the earth was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 84. . . .
A Blessing over Water for Peace, Health, Joy, Prosperity, and Kindness — by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (ca. 2004)
Contributed on: 23 Nov 2016 by
❧A blessing by Reb Zalman for Peace, Health, Joy, Prosperity, and Kindness which he wrote in spray paint on a municipal water tank behind his house in Colorado. . . .
לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל־שַׁבָּת | Blessing the Sabbath Candles, a rhyming translation and explanation by Jessie Ethel Sampter (1919)
Contributed on: 13 Jun 2023 by
❧This paraliturgical supplement to the blessing over kindling the Shabbat candles was written by Jessie Ethel Sampter and published in her Around the Year in Rhymes for the Jewish Child (1920), p. 80. . . .
ברכות השחר | Blessings at your Dawn of Wakefulness, translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Contributed on: 30 Jul 2018 by
❧Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Birkhot haShaḥar in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). . . .
Blest is the Bond of Wedded Love, a hymn on “Matrimonial Love” by Penina Moïse (Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim 1842)
Contributed on: 28 Oct 2021 by
❧“Blest is the bond of wedded love,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Matrimonial Love” as Hymn 42 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 45-46. . . .
The Body Speaking to the Soul Which Just Left It, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1842)
Contributed on: 06 Aug 2017 by
❧The poem, “The Body Speaking to the Soul Which Just Left It.” by Rosa Emma Salaman, was written in March 1842 and first published in the Occident and American Jewish Advocate 2:4, Tamuz 5604, July 1844, p. 200-202. . . .
Brich aus in lauten Klagen | Break out in loud lamenting, a qinah by Heinrich Heine (1824)
Contributed on: 18 Jul 2022 by
❧“Brich aus in lauten Klagen” by Heinrich Heine was preserved in a letter he wrote to his friend Moses Moser dated 25 October 1824. The poem is included in Heinrich Heine’s Letters on The Rabbi of Bacharach, the manuscript of which only survived in a fragment, the rest having been lost, according to Heine, in a fire. The English translation here by Nina Salaman was transcribed from her anthology, Apples & Honey (1921) where it appears under the title of “Martyr-Song,” published at an earlier date in The Jewish Chronicle. . . .
Brotherly Love, an adaptation of Psalms 133 by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1826)
Contributed on: 08 Oct 2021 by
❧A hymn provided for opening or concluding the morning Sabbath service of the Reformed Society of Israelites (Charleston, S.C.) ca. 1830. . . .
בּרידער | “Brothers” – Y.L. Peretz’s Sardonic Rejoinder to Friedrich Schiller’s Paean to Universal Enlightenment, An die Freude (Ode to Joy)
Contributed on: 22 Feb 2016 by
❧Y.L. Peretz rejected cultural universalism, seeing the world as composed of different nations, each with its own character. Liptzin comments that “Every people is seen by him as a chosen people…”; he saw his role as a Jewish writer to express “Jewish ideals…grounded in Jewish tradition and Jewish history.” This is Peretz’s lampoon of the popularity of Friedrich Schiller’s idealistic paean made famous as the lyrics to the climax of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. . . .
טעמי המקרא | Cantillation Tables for Torah Readings
Contributed on: 28 Aug 2013 by
❧We are sharing these tables for Taamei haMikra (cantillation for Torah reading) because we weren’t able to find these available in Unicode Hebrew text anywhere else on the Internet. We would very much like to also share the traditional tables of Taamei haMikra for the Nusaḥ Roma (Italy), Nusaḥ Teman (Yemen), and others along with excellent free-culture licensed recordings of these tables being chanted. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of free-culture licensed audio and video of the taamei hamikra being chanted. Please help us by sharing your audio or video with a Creative Commons Attribution license. . . .
Charity, a hymn by Felix Adler (1888)
Contributed on: 28 Jul 2022 by
❧“Charity” is a hymn by Felix Adler, first published in The Ethical Record vol. 1, no. 1. (April 1888), sheet music page 4. For an account of this hymn being sung, find The Journal of Industrial Education, “Autumn Festival of the Workingman’s School. Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1889.” vol. 4, no. 9 (May 1890). . . .
[Children’s] Prayer for a Youth Service during World War Ⅱ, by Lilian Helen Montagu (11 April 1942)
Contributed on: 26 Aug 2022 by
❧This “Special Prayer” for a Youth Service (11 April 1942) by the Hon. Lily H. Montagu (1873-1963) from the archives of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, was published in, Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters, and Prayers (ed. Ellen M. Umansky, 1985), p. 351. April 11th that year would have corresponded to the 24th of Nissan, i.e., a day following Passover 5702. . . .
[Children’s] Prayer for Ḥanukkah, by Lilian Helen Montagu (5 December 1942)
Contributed on: 26 Aug 2022 by
❧This “Prayer for Chanukah” (5 December 1942) by the Hon. Lily H. Montagu (1873-1963) from the archives of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, was published in, Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters, and Prayers (ed. Ellen M. Umansky, 1985), p. 352-353. . . .
[Children’s] Prayer for Shabbat Teshuvah, by Lilian Helen Montagu (27 September 1941)
Contributed on: 26 Aug 2022 by
❧This “Prayer for Service” on Shabbat Teshuvah (27 September 1941) by the Hon. Lily H. Montagu (1873-1963) from the archives of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, was published in, Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters, and Prayers (ed. Ellen M. Umansky, 1985), pp. 350-351. . . .
Children’s Prayer for the Recovery of our President [Dwight D. Eisenhower], by Rabbi Avraham Samuel Soltes (1955)
Contributed on: 26 Sep 2019 by
❧A prayer for the recovery of President Dwight D. Eisenhower following a severe heart attack in late September 1955. . . .
The Children’s Song, a hymn by Felix Adler (1888)
Contributed on: 28 Jul 2022 by
❧“The Children’s Song” is a hymn by Felix Adler, first published in The Ethical Record vol. 1, no. 1. (April 1888), sheet music page 5. . . .
A Child’s Prayer on its Birthday, by Frederick de Sola Mendes (1887)
Contributed on: 25 Apr 2023 by
❧“A Child’s Prayer on its Birthday” was written by Frederick de Sola Mendes and published in the anthology, The Jewish Home Prayer-Book (1887), page 130. . . .
A Child’s Prayer on its Parent’s Birthday, by Frederick de Sola Mendes (1887)
Contributed on: 25 Apr 2023 by
❧“A Child’s Prayer on its Parent’s Birthday” was written by Frederick de Sola Mendes and published in the anthology, The Jewish Home Prayer-Book (1887), pages 130-131. . . .
The City of Light, a poem by Felix Adler (1882)
Contributed on: 26 Jun 2022 by
❧“The City of Light” is a poem written by Felix Adler. The earliest publication I could find for it dates to 1882, in Unity: Freedom, Fellowship and Character in Religion vol. 8, no. 12 (16 Feb. 1882), p. 477. . . .
Closing Ceremony for Flag Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 14 Jun 2023 by
❧This closing ceremony for Flag Day was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), pp. 133-135. . . .
Closing Prayer for Arbor Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 11 Jan 2021 by
❧This closing prayer for Arbor Day, “The Significance of the Day,” was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 86. . . .
Closing Prayer for Labor Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 11 Apr 2021 by
❧“Closing Prayer [for Labor Day]” was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p.165. . . .
Closing Prayer for New Year’s Day, adapted by Mordecai Kaplan & Eugene Kohn from a prayer by Members of the Faculty of the Colgate Divinity School (1947)
Contributed on: 22 Dec 2020 by
❧This “Closing Prayer” for New Year’s Day was adapted by Mordecai Kaplan and Eugene Kohn from a prayer first published by unnamed “Members of the Faculty” of the Colgate-Rochester Divinity School (The Colgate-Rochester Divinity School Bulletin, “Prayers for the New Year,” vol. 19 no. 2 (1947), pp. 65-71). Kaplan & Kohn’s adapted prayer essentially contains excerpts from the prayer of the Faculty (excluding any with explicit Christian content). The adapted prayer was published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 25-26. –Aharon Varady . . .
Closing Prayer for Thanksgiving Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 22 Dec 2020 by
❧This closing prayer for Thanksgiving Day was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 327-328 — following at the end of a number of readings selected by Mordecai Kaplan, Eugene Kohn, and J. Paul Williams for the day. . . .
Closing Prayer for United Nations Day, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 16 Oct 2021 by
❧This closing prayer for United Nations Day was first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951), p. 272-273. . . .
Closing Prayer for Washington’s Birthday, by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, J. Paul Williams, and Eugene Kohn (1951)
Contributed on: 20 Feb 2021 by
❧This closing prayer for Washington’s Birthday as first published in The Faith of America: Readings, Songs, and Prayers for the Celebration of American Holidays (Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation 1951). . . .
“Coal Miners’ Prayer” (CCAR 1924)
Contributed on: 27 Sep 2023 by
❧This prayer by an unknown author is first found in Evening Service for the Sabbath from the Union Prayer Book (Newly Revised) (1924), p. 45. (It also appears on the same page of the 1940 edition of the “newly revised” UPB.) The prayer is included as a third variation of a Reform synagogue’s Shabbat evening service, in the Amidah before the silent meditation. Rabbi Michael Satz of Temple B’nai Or (Morristown, New Jersey) affectionately refers to it as the “Coal Miner’s Prayer.” . . .