INTRODUCTION.

With the present volume, the author concludes his labor for the Minhag America, i.e. the Liturgy of American Israelites. It is his ardent wish, that the main portion of the synagogal liturgy shall remain in Hebrew — the Maarib, Shacharith, Mussaph for Sabbaths, New Moons and Holidays, and the Minchah, as corrected and abridged in the Hebrew portions of the Minhag America books; since he can not see any valid reason for the abolition of those prayers. All Israel has these four divisions of divine service with the Neilah for the Day of Atonement, and this is an important inducement to their retention.

The Hebrew language in our public worship is the medium of our synagogal union. Dispersed as the house of Israel is in all lands, we must have a vehicle to understand each other in the house of God, so that no brother be a stranger therein; and this vehicle is the Hebrew. Aside from this consideration, however, the Hebrew sounds are sacred to the Israelite; they are holy reminiscences of his youth, which can as little be replaced to him in another language, as the Psalms of David can be fullv reproduced in any other tongue. Those who are not at all conversant with the Hebrew, — and few among us are so entirely ignorant of the sacred language — can resort to translated prayer-books which will always enable them to follow the minister in the public worship. In the house of the Lord, let us always remain a unit, as our sires have been.

Still it must be admitted, that portions of our divine worship should be conducted in the vernacular of the country in which we live. There are several good reasons for this innovation. In the first place, we must give some satisfaction to those who are not at all conversant with the Hebrew. Our temples are often visited by Gentiles, to whom we owe some consideration, and by numerous persons of our own persuasion who prefer the vernacular of the country to the Hebrew. We owe them this concession. We must no longer hide our sublime doctrines and our sacred precepts; they must be expressed in clear and intelligible words, accessible to all. To this end, it is not sufficient to furnish mere translations; because our age, like every other, has its own sentiments, conceptions, hopes and wishes, which must be clearly expressed in public worship, to render it satisfactory to the devout Israelite. Therefore our sires had their own psalms, hymns and prayers in correspondence with every age. The Psalms of David were succeeded by the hymns and prayers of the Men of the Great Synod, then of the Rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud, then again by the numerous Piutim, Pizmonim, Selichoth, Kinoth, and various other forms of sacred poetry, for the Synagogue, at different times, to suit the religious demands of each. Why should we in our days not exercise the same privilege, when by the progress of time, sentiments and conceptions have changed so universally? In justice to our sacred cause, we must give expression to our religious feelings, hopes and wishes, in the language most accessible to all, and in the form most agreeable to our age.

The author opposes the promiscuous conglomeration of the Hebrew portions with those in the vernacular. He wishes to see the Hebrew uninterrupted by other pieces, in order not to disturb those who wish to read the prayers as they desire; and to leave the ancient divisions predominant and conspicuous. Therefore he places the vernacular hymns, psalms and prayers at the beginning and at the close of divine worship; before and during the unfolding of the divine law, commonly called the Aus-heben, which concludes the Shacharith portion; before and during the returning of the divine law to the ark commonly called Einheben; after the sermon, or in place thereof when none is preached; which begins the Mussaph. Thus the Hebrew portions stand prominently and conspicuously in the midst, which adds greatly to their solemnity and to devotion in general.

The choice of pieces for each public worship, of the vernacular as well as of the Hebrew, must be left to the judgment of the various congregations and their ministers, who must know to make the best selections for their respective purposes. One or more pieces may be selected for each division, and the Hebrew portion may be commenced with Lechu Nerannenah, or any other of the psalms, or with Kaddish and Borechu Baruch Sheomar, or with Nishmath; the Shacharith Kedushah may be omitted, the seven benedictions read entirely in silent devotion, and the minister only read aloud the Mussaph benedictions with the Kaddushah, and the congregation pray simultaneously with him. Each congregation and its minister must make the proper selections. But divine service, the sermon inclusive, on ordinary occasions, must never last longer than two hours, and nothing must be either read or sung in the temple, without being properly announced to the congregation, so that every body can find it in his book, nor must anything be announced which is not in the books of the congregation. As we do append a ritual to this volume, we shall say no more on the subject in this place.

All original pieces in this volume written by others than the author, are marked with their respective names. Pieces adopted from other collections are also properly noted. All other pieces are claimed by the author as his own productions. He knows of but one English hymn book, written and compiled for the Synagogue; it is that of the Hebrew congregation of Charleston, S.C., of which he possesses the second edition. The German Synagogue has several hymn books, like the Hamburg collection, the Johlsohn’s, the Wurtemberg and the Berlin, as also Leopold Stein’s productions and collections, from which several pieces were adopted. For us, in America, as far as the English language is spoken, it is especially necessary that gifted sons and daughters of Israel should adorn the temple with original hymns, as we are quite poor in this species of literature. The author hopes to give a fresh impulse to Hebrew genius, to enhance our sacred literature in the language of our country. He wishes heartily, that hereafter, rabbinical conferences or synods may decide on the worthiness of poetical productions, to be incorporated into our synagogal volumes; in absence thereof he can only submit his humble productions to the choice of the congregations and their respective ministers.

The author can not conclude this without duo acknowledgments to Mrs. Minna Kleeberg for her valuable German contributions to this work, and without expressing his gratification that a gifted daughter of Israel contributes excellent xpressions of piety to our sacred literature. He harbors but one wish, which is this: — May every soul be elevated to the throne of grace by the means of his words, and may the Lord God of Israel be pleased with his humble exertions in behalf of the religion taught by Closes and the prophets. The name of the Lord be glorified, now and forever.

THE AUTHOR.
Cincinnati, in the month of Adar,
5628, A.M.

Almighty God, ruler of the destinies of nations,
to thee we address our supplications
on behalf of this country,
which thou hast blest with liberty and prosperity,
ever since the fathers of this land proclaimed
the inalienable rights of man,
which they protected with their lives,
and which they bought with the blood
of hundreds of noble champions
in the cause of humanity—
continue to be graciously disposed
towards this land.

Grant us peace, prosperity, and happiness.
Be with those who labor in the cause of this nation;
direct the actions of our executive,
enlighten the minds and inspire the hearts of our legislators
to do that which is noble, true, and good.
Let them be united before thee
in the desire to promote the welfare of this people,
to protect the weak and the helpless,
and to guard those rights and liberties
which thou hast made the birthright
of every human being.

Grant, O Lord,
that the rays of enlightenment,
which proceed from science alone,
may radiate from the halls of our Legislature.
May feeble voices and imaginary interests
no longer deprive the land of the best and most precious gifts
man is permitted to possess in this sublunary world,
science, the knowledge of thee and of thy works,
which are the manifestations of thy will;
may self-sufficiency—the night of the ignorant—
be so illumined by thy divine light,
that he may perceive the state in which he is,
and endeavor to extricate himself,
and also to assist others who may be in the same state
of delusive obscurity.

Grant, O Lord,
that sincerity and the pious desire to do thy will,
may be the motives of action in our officers and magistrates;
that every selfish interest may give way
to the sacred interests of the community;
that liberty and right, justice and equity be manfully upheld;
that thy blessings may distinguish this nation and her officers;
that thy divine wisdom be reflected
in the conduct of our legislators,
that thy will be done now and evermore.
Amen.

Lord,
thou governest the universe
with wisdom and power;
thou directest the destinies of nations
with grace and justice;
and the sacred laws, according to which thou rulest,
are eternal and immutable,
are imprinted on nature’s forehead,
are written in letters of fire on man’s innermost scroll;^[1] The image is undeniably taken from folklore associated with the legend of the Golem. According to some versions of the legend, the word אמת (truth) is imprinted on the Golem’s forehead animating the anthropoid. In other versions, the word is inscribed on a scroll and placed under their tongue. 
are an eternal evidence of thy unbounded benignity,
of thy unlimited grace and imperceptible wisdom.

Feeble and imperfect as our intellect is,
still thou hast bestowed upon us
as much of the celestial light,
as to know that liberty and justice
are the fundamental principles
of thy universal and sovereign government,
and that it is man’s superior duty
to imitate thy works and attributes.

Therefore, thy people have chosen Legislators,
to maintain the liberties which thou hast granted unto us;
to protect thy faithful children
against the encroachments of power and despotism
upon the inalienable rights of humanity;
to maintain legal order in our community,
by the provision of laws
adequate to the exigencies of our progressive age,
for the common benefit of all
who choose to live under the powerful and protective pinions
of this Empire State.

Gracious Father of mankind!
mayest thou be pleased, when the men of our choice
faithfully discharge their sacred duties
towards their country and their fellow men;
bless them with thy divine assistance,
and enlighten them with thy profound wisdom;
let their hearts be pure
and their understanding capacious,
in order that they be not misled
by partiality and selfish interests;
that they may never forget
the confidence rested in them by their fellow citizens,
and the sacred obligations they have to answer to
before thee, O, God of justice and liberty;
that their acts may prove to be
an accomplishment of thy divine principles,
a blessing to their country,
and a benefit to their fellow men.

Let truth be the basis, glory and prosperity of our country,
the superstructure of their legislation;
so thy will, O, God of love and truth,
be done now and evermore,
Amen.

Lord,
thou hast created man in thine own image,
and hast imprinted upon him
the testimony of thy profound wisdom;
thou hast been pleased to endow him
with the consciousness of his individuality,
and of his own value as a being
created after thine image.

Thou knowest, O, God,
how apt man is to misapply his noble qualities
and the cousciousness of his powers and energies;
how apt man is to consider himself
and his individual prosperity
the end and aim of all his actions.

Grant, O, Lord,
that this be not the case in this legislative body,
who are elected, not for themselves,
but for the millions whom they represent,
whose happiness and prosperity is entrusted
to their wisdom, capacity and patriotism.

Let them bear in mind
that the prosperity of the individual
depends upon the prosperity of the community,
and that the noble virtue of patriotism
consists in man’s sacrificing his own interests
to those of his country.

Let them bear in mind,
that this Empire State is but a large and powerful portion
of our common fatherland—the glorious United States—
for which the noble fathers of this Republic
heroically fought, bled and died
upon the battle fields of human liberty—
which to sustain, to protect, and ardently to love,
is our common duty and inclination.

Let them also bear in mind,
that these glorious United States, our beloved country,
is but a large and powerful section of the globe,
inhabited by men, our brethren,
the beloved sons of the same benign Father,
all and each of whom have a rightful claim
on our sympathy, our love, and compassion.

It pleased thee, Almighty God,
that this great country—
consecrated to the cause of humanity—
first raised the banner of liberty;
and this glorious standard breathed its lofty spirit
into the hearts of millions on this and the other side of the ocean,
and millions rose and struggled for their liberty,
against the oppressive power of tyranny and despotism;
but, O, Lord, they have achieved very little;
the despotic will of a few still governs the human race,
and only our country is truly free and great.

Be it, therefore, thy will, O, God,
that our legislators,
wherever assembled,
maintain among us legal order,
peace, harmony and union;
that they exert their best energies, their ulmost power,
to maintain, to elevate and to strengthen our beloved fatherland,
in order that the brilliancy of these glittering stars
open the eyes of the blindfolded masses in despotic countries;
that the tyrants tremble at the imperative voice of this great country;
that poor exiles find a safe and secured home;
that the rights of man have one spot on this earth,
where they are respected and find a powerful protection;
that one hope be saved for the future of mankind;
that justice and equity be not blotted out entirely from the face of the earth;
that the enemies of humanity finally fall down
terror stricken before the glorious star-spangled banner;
that, at some future day, liberty, peace and justice,
uniting mankind to one great brotherhood,
to worship thee, to adore thee, to glorify thee,
O, Father of mankind.
Amen.

Lord of Hosts, Father of mankind!
“the heavens declare thy glory,” (Psalms 19:2)
the material universe perpetually proclaims thy omnipotent will,
the wisdom and immutability of thy government;
mankind’s history, the realized plan of a benign Providence,
solemnly testifies the wisdom, justice, and goodness
of thy everlasting laws;
the human heart, the work of thy hands,
is pervaded with love of liberty
and desire of happiness:
Thus Thou hast taught us to be thy sacred will,
that man be free and happy,
and governed on the principles of justice,
goodness and true wisdom.

But the ambition, egotism and avidity of men
have been more regarded than thy words,
than the voice of nature,
and a few tyrants usurped the liberty and happiness,
which is the just due of every human being;
justice and equity gave way
before the iron rule of tyranny;
and the genius of humanity
loaded with insult and covered with shame,
mourned under the heavy chains of slavery,
and mingled her tears in the flood of injustice,
which threatened to extinguish
the brightest luminary of heaven,—
the sun of liberty.—

“And God said let there be light,
and there was light” (Genesis 1:3)
and the venerable fathers of our own republic
invited the genius of humanity
to these western shores,
and hither she came,
and unfurled the glorious star spangled banner,
and chastised the tyrant,
and refreshed the land
with the mild zephyr of liberty and justice;
but yonder nations she had abandoned
because of their misfortunes.

And again “The Lord spoke, and it was done;
he commanded and”—the illustrious Louis Kossuth^[1] The English name of Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894) a Hungarian nobleman, lawyer, journalist, politician, statesman and governor-president of the Kingdom of Hungary during the revolution of 1848–1849. Kossuth’s bronze bust can be found in the United States Capitol with the inscription: “Father of Hungarian Democracy, Hungarian Statesman, Freedom Fighter, 1848–1849.”  was born
to dash in pieces the heavy yoke
which selfish despots loaded
upon suffering nations;
to reconcile the genius of humanity
with the government of nations
to reestablish the empire of justice
upon the immovable columns of liberty,
goodness and true wisdom.

May doubt and mistrust bewilder the mind of those
who do not comprehend thy goodness, O God of Love!
but we have confidence in thee,
and we are sure, that thou wilt assist and strengthen
the indefatigable apostle of liberty, and justice,
that he accelerate the regeneration of yonder unfortunate nations;
for the time has come
when despotism knows its curse
and liberty knows its blessings;
we know that liberty and justice
are the expressions of thy sacred will;

and therefore we have assembled here this evening
to hear the words of thy will,
from the lips of him whom thou hast chosen
to execute thy will;
which, we are confident, O Lord,
is as pleasing in thy sight,
as if we chant sacred hymns and psalms in thy praise;
and therefore thy humble servant is encouraged
to entreat thy benign blessing
to the performances of this evening.

“May the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart,
be acceptable in thy presence O Lord,
my Rock and Redeemer.”
Amen.

Lord of hosts! Rock of salvation
whose unlimited power, wisdom, and love,
is revealed in the innumerable millions of creatures
that populate^[1] Original, “populize”  the Universe,
whose providence,
especial care
and benignity is re-echoed
on every page of the history of nations!
Hear our supplications,
listen graciously to our petitions
that we offer up unto Thee
on behalf of our beloved country
and her faithful legislators,
who have assembled again
to give us laws and regulations
to the promotion of liberty, prosperity,
justice, and humanity.

O Lord!
Thou hast inspired and assisted our ancestors,
when they rose lion-like against their opressors,
and bought, for the warm blood of their hearts
the liberty and independence of these United States.

Inspire, Our Father!
O inspire our legislators
with the same spirit of truth and justice,
with the same love of liberty and independence,
with the same desire to promote happiness and prosperity
among their fellow-citizens;
remove prejudices, partiality and factional endeavors
from every mind;
give unto them the same spirit
as the venerable fathers of this republic manifested;
let them be firmly united
in the discharge of their sacred duty to their country,
that she may bloom and prosper before Thee;
that she may bean example of liberty, equity, and humanity;
that she may be imitated by those nations, that still
suffer and sigh under the iron rod of despotism,
that her citizens be united before Thee,
to do Thy sacred will,
to proclaim Thine holy name!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from sunrise to sunset,
from now to evermore,
Amen!