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🖖︎ Prayers & Praxes // 🌍︎ Collective Welfare // Sovereign States & Meta-national Organizations // United States of America //   Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered in conclusion to a sermon delivered at some point days after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on 15 April 1865, and reprinted in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 20 November 1865. The time of the assassination corresponded to motsei shabbat and the beginning of the 6th day of Passover 5625, and so we can imagine this prayer having been delivered at some point over the remaining two festival days of Pesaḥ, on April 17th or 18th. The prayer was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 24, clipping 029), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) Next to the clipping, Rabbi Sabato has written, “Andrew Johnson proved anything but a worthy successor to the sainted Abraham Lincoln.” . . . Prayer for the United States on Thanksgiving Day during the Civil War, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (24 November 1864) Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered on Thanksgiving Day at the conclusion of a sermon reprinted the following day in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 25 November 1864. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 23, clipping 028), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Prayer for the United States of America on Thanksgiving Day, by Rabbi David Einhorn (26 November 1863) Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi David Einhorn was offered at the conclusion of his “Sermon delivered on Thanksgiving Day, November 26th, 1863,” (page 13). . . . Prayer for the Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania after the Battle of Gettysburg by Rabbi Sabato Morais (4 July 1863) Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered on US Independence Day (4 July 1863) at the conclusion of a sermon reguested by the “Philadelphia Union League” and delivered before Congregation Mikveh Israel, that was published in The Jewish Messenger on 10 July 1863. July 4th, 1863, was the day following the Battle of Gettysburg, and hand’t yet been recognized as the crucial turning point in the defeat of the Confederacy during the Slaveholder’s Revolt. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 22, clipping 023), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Prayer for the United States on a Civic Fast Day during the Civil War, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (30 April 1863) Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered on 30 April 1863 at the conclusion of a “A Sermon. Delivered in accordance with the Proclamation of the President of the United States, at the Synagogue in Seventh Street, above Arch, on the National Fast-day, by the Rev. S. Morais, Minister of the Congregation”, that was published in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 2 May 1863. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 23, clipping 026), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Max Michelbacher was offered on 27 March 1863, a day appointed by Jefferson Davis for fasting and prayer, and published together with a sermon. . . . Prayer on the Occasion of the Dedication of Ḳahl Montgomery Synagogue, by Rabbi James Koppel Gutheim (16 May 1862) Contributor(s):This civic prayer, recorded by an unknown Montgomery, Alabama newspaper on 16 May 1862, was offered at the dedication of the new Ḳahl Montgomery synagogue building, by Rabbi James Koppel Gutheim. The newspaper clipping, found in the I. Solomon Collection in the manuscript department of Duke University Library, was transcribed by Dr. Bertram W. Korn for his article, “The Jews of the Confederacy,” American Jewish Archives vol. 13, no. 1 (Apr 1961), on pages 40-42. . . . Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais (1828-1897), of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, was initially delivered on 15 April 1862 (the first day of Passover) at the conclusion of a sermon later printed in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 23 April 1862. A copy of that sermon was preserved in the Sabato Morais Ledger (p. 22, clip no. 23). (The prayer was also read by President Abraham Lincoln, who sent Rabbi Morais an acknowledgment). The letter was read into the congressional record on 29 February 1944 by Arthur G. Klein (1904-1968, D-NY) after it was brought to light by Moshe Davis at the 44th annual meeting of the American Jewish Historical Society on 12-13 February 1944 (Lincoln’s Birthday). . . . Prayer for the United States on Thanksgiving Day on the First Day of Ḥanukkah during the Civil War, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (28 November 1861) Contributor(s):This Thanksgiving Day Prayer for 28 November 1861 was reprinted in The Jewish Messenger (vol. 10, no. 12, p. 91), on 13 December 1861. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 22, clipping 023), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) Unfortunately, that bit of clipping containing the prayer had disintegrated enough to make much of the prayer illegible. But thankfully, a microfilm copy of the The Jewish Messenger for the date of printing was available at the HUC-JIR Klau Library, Cincinnati. . . . Prayer for the United States on a Civic Fast Day to avert Civil War, by Rabbi Sabato Morais (26 September 1861) Contributor(s):This prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered on Shemini Atseret, the day decreed by President Abraham Lincoln for “public humiliation, prayer and fasting” (26 September 1861) as recorded in an “Address. Delivered by the Rev. S. Morais, Minister of the Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, on the National ‘Fast Day.'” published in The Jewish Messenger on 4 October 1861. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 21, clipping 022), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. The annotation accompanying the clipping reads, “at the breaking out of the unfortunate Civil War.” (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Contributor(s):This “Prayer for of the C.S. Soldiers” was written by Max Michelbacher of Congregation Beth Ahabah, Richmond, Virginia, and distributed to Jewish soldiers in the Confederate armed forces during the Slaveholders’ Rebellion (1861-1865). While this prayer is undated, we have tentatively given the date ca. 1861 given the proximity of Richmond, Virginia to the First Battle of Bull Run. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Morris J. Raphall on 1 February 1860 Contributor(s):This is the text of the Rabbi Morris Jacob Raphall’s prayer offered before the U.S. House of Representatives as recorded in the Congressional Globe, (part 1, 36th Congress, 1st Session, 1859-1860) pp. 648-649, and reprinted in The Occident and American Jewish Advocate, 18:46 9 Feb 1860, pp. 275-276. . . . Contributor(s):“Father of nations! Judge divine!” by Penina Moïse, was published in 1856, and appears under the subject of “Our Country” as Hymn 149 in Hymns Written for the Use of Hebrew Congregations (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1856), pp. 144-146. . . . Contributor(s):This Thanksgiving Day prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered at the conclusion of a “The Watchfulness of Providence over Nations. A Thanksgiving Address delivered by the Rev. S. Morais, Minister of the Portuguese Synagogue, of Philadelphia, on the 20th November, 1856.” and recorded in The Asmonean (on 28 November 1856. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 8, clipping 007), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. A note next to the clipping reads, “His lecture aimed to oppose knownothingism (???) antagonism indirectly shown.” (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the New York State Legislature: Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (in the week commencing 11 April 1853) Contributor(s):This is one of three opening prayers offered by the guest chaplain, Rabbi Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise, for the week commencing 11 April 1853. The prayer was published in “The Israelite Chaplain in the N.Y. Legislature,” The Asmonean (15 April 1853), p. 5. It is the only prayer we have from this week that he officiated in 1853. . . . Contributor(s):This Thanksgiving Day prayer by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered at the conclusion of a “Thanksgiving Discourse. An Address. Delivered by a member of the order on the 24th of November, it being the Thanksgiving Day appointed by the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania.” and recorded in The Masonic Mirror and Keystone on 7 December 1853. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 3b-c, clipping 002), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Prayer №1 of the Guest Chaplain of the New York State Legislature: Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (in the week commencing 12 January 1852) Contributor(s):This is one of three opening prayers offered by the guest chaplain, Rabbi Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise, before the Legislature of the State of New York, in the State Assembly (on Tuesday, the 13th of January or Thursday the 15th of January 1852), and in the State Senate (on Monday the 12th, Wednesday the 14th, or Friday the 16th). The prayer was published in The Asmonean (30 January 1852), in a letter dated 20 January from a correspondent identified only under the pseudonym “Bassist.” This prayer is one of two prayers offered in the letter. . . . Prayer №2 of the Guest Chaplain of the New York State Legislature: Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise (in the week commencing 12 January 1852) Contributor(s):This is one of three opening prayers offered by the guest chaplain, Rabbi Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise, before the Legislature of the State of New York, in the State Assembly (on Tuesday, the 13th of January or Thursday the 15th of January 1852), and in the State Senate (on Monday the 12th, Wednesday the 14th, or Friday the 16th). The prayer was published in The Asmonean (30 January 1852), in a letter dated 20 January from a correspondent identified only under the pseudonym “Bassist.” This prayer is one of two prayers offered in the letter. . . . Contributor(s):This prayer is found in conclusion to “A Sermon Delivered on Thanksgiving Day (November 25, 1852) Before the Congregation Mikvé Israel at their Synagogue in Cherry Street by the Rev. S. Morais, Reader of the Congregation,” pp. 10-11. . . . Contributor(s):This Thanksgiving Day prayer for welfare of the country and congregation by Rabbi Sabato Morais was offered at the end of his sermon on 27 November 1851 and recorded in The Asmonean on 12 December 1851. It was preserved by Rabbi Morais in his ledger (page 2, clipping 001), an archive of newsclippings recording material he contributed to the press, among other announcements. (Many thanks to the Library of the University of Pennsylvania for helping to make this resource accessible.) . . . Contributor(s):The opening prayer offered by Rabbi Dr. Isaac Mayer Wise, in his role as guest chaplain before the 74th New York State Senate on 24 June 1851, and published under the header, “Albany” in The Asmonean (11 July 1851), on page 5. The prayer is one of the earliest offered by a rabbi before a state legislature in the United States. . . . Contributor(s):An opening prayer offered by the guest chaplain before the Virginia House of Delegates (1849-1850 legislative session) in the week of January 15-18, 1850, and published in The Richmond Enquirer (25 January 1850), p. 1. . . . Contributor(s):An original prayer for the government of the United States, Ohio, and the city of Cincinnati by Rabbi H.A. Henry was published in an article, “Emendation of the Liturgy” in The Asmonean (21 June 1850), p. 6. . . . רִבּוֹן כׇּל הָעוֹלָמִים | Ribon kol ha-Olamim, a prayer for the government of the United States of America by Rabbi Max Lilienthal (1846) Contributor(s):“Ribon kol ha-Olamim” was almost certainly written by Rabbi Max Lilienthal in 1846 soon after he arrived in New York City where he was elected chief rabbi of New York’s “united German-Jewish community.” It was first published in L. Henry Frank’s prayerbook, Tefilot Yisrael: Prayers of Israel with an English translation (1848) without attribution. In 1998, Dr. Jonathan Sarna elucidated its authorship in an article, “A Forgotten 19th Century Prayer for the U.S. Government: Its Meaning, Significance and Surprising Author.” In Hesed Ve-Emet: Studies in Honor of Ernest S. Frerichs, eds. J. Magness and S. Gitin, 431-440. Athens, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1998. . . . Prayer for the Government [of the United States of America], by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1825) Contributor(s):This historically significant prayer for the government of the United States of America offered by the Reformed Society of Israelites (Charleston, S.C.), appears 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). . . . די שטערן־שטרײפיקע פאָן | The Star-Spangled Banner, by Francis Scott Key (1814), Yiddish translation by Berl Lapin (1950) Contributor(s):The National Anthem of the United States of America with a Yiddish translation by Berl Lapin. . . . Prayer for the Government in honor of George Washington, First President of the United States of America by Ḳ.Ḳ. Beit Shalome (1789) Contributor(s):The following prayer for the government was composed by Congregation Beth Shalome in Richmond, Virginia in 1789. Please note the acrostic portion of the prayer in which the initial letters of the succeeding lines form the name: Washington. . . . הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה | Prayer for the Government of the United States of America, presented by Gershom Seixas on Thanksgiving Day 1789 Contributor(s):The prayer for the government presented by Gershom Seixas at K.K. Shearith Israel on Thanksgiving Day 1789. . . . תפילה לשלום המלכות | Prayer for the Welfare of George Washington, George Clinton, and the Thirteen States of America by Hendla Jochanan van Oettingen (1784) Contributor(s):Prayers recited on special occasions and thus not part of the fixed liturgy offered America’s foremost Jewish congregation far greater latitude for originality in prayer. At such services, particularly when the prayers were delivered in English and written with the knowledge that non-Jews would hear them, leaders of Shearith Israel often dispensed with the traditional prayer for the government and substituted revealing new compositions appropriate to the concerns of the day. A prayer composed in 1784 (in this case in Hebrew) by the otherwise unknown Rabbi (Cantor?) Hendla Jochanan van Oettingen, for example, thanked God who “in His goodness prospered our warfare.” Mentioning by name both Governor George Clinton and General George Washington, the rabbi prayed for peace and offered a restorationist Jewish twist on the popular idea of America as “redeemer nation”: “As Thou hast granted to these thirteen states of America everlasting freedom,” he declared, “so mayst Thou bring us forth once again from bondage into freedom and mayst Thou sound the great horn for our freedom.” . . .
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The Open Siddur Project is a volunteer-driven, non-profit, non-commercial, non-denominational, non-prescriptive, gratis & libre Open Access archive of contemplative praxes, liturgical readings, and Jewish prayer literature (historic and contemporary, familiar and obscure) composed in every era, region, and language Jews have ever prayed. Our goal is to provide a platform for sharing open-source resources, tools, and content for individuals and communities crafting their own prayerbook (siddur). Through this we hope to empower personal autonomy, preserve customs, and foster creativity in religious culture.
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
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