Contributor(s): Rabbi Jill Hammer, Ph.D.
Shared on כ״ט בטבת ה׳תשע״ו (2016-01-10) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories:  the Wet Season (Fall & Winter), Sukkot, Shemini Atseret (and Simḥat Torah)
Tags:  North America, פיוטים piyyutim, Imahot, Matriarchs, Rain, Geshem, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Prayers for Precipitation, גשם 
The time of Sukkot is a time of fullness and generosity, but also a time to pray for the coming season. Shemini Atzeret, the festival when we pray for rain, is an expression of our need for water, which in the Jewish tradition symbolizes life, renewal, and deliverance. Tefillat Geshem, a graceful fixture of the Ashkenazic liturgy, invokes the patriarchs as exemplars of holiness and model recipients of God’s love. This prayer uses water as a metaphor for devotion and faith, asking that God grant us life-sustaining rain. While its authorship is unknown, it is sometimes attributed to Elazar Kallir, the great liturgist who lived sometime during the first millenium. Each year, we are reminded of our people’s connection to the patriarchs and to the rhythms of water, spiritual and physical sources of life, through this medieval piyyut. While we know that rain is a natural process, formal thanksgiving for water as a source of life, energy, and beauty reminds us that our Creator is the source of our physical world and its many wonders. . . .
Contributor(s): Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
Shared on י״ז באייר ה׳תשע״ח (2018-05-02) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh Hashanah, Erev Shabbat, Erev Pesaḥ, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Sukkot, Ecotastrophes
Tags: 20th century C.E., eco-conscious, kindling, North America, candle lighting, 58th century A.M., כוונות kavvanot, English vernacular prayer, ecoḥasid 
“Between the Fires: A Prayer for lighting Candles of Commitment” was composed by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, drawing on traditional midrash about the danger of a Flood of Fire, and the passage from Malachi. . . .
Contributor(s): Chaya Kaplan-Lester
Shared on י״א בטבת ה׳תשע״ב (2012-01-05) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Rosh Hashanah, Erev Shabbat, Erev Pesaḥ, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, 7th Day of Pesaḥ
Tags: Light, potential, fire, kindling, entering, welcoming, candle lighting, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., כוונות kavvanot, English poetry, Prayers as poems, English vernacular prayer 
Please God Let me light More than flame tonight. More than wax and wick and sliver stick of wood. More than shallow stream of words recited from a pocket book. . . .
Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Nosson Sternhartz of Nemirov
Shared on כ״ב בתמוז ה׳תשע״ט (2019-07-25) — under the following terms: Fair Use Right (17 U.S. Code §107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use)
Categories: Rosh haShanah la-Behemah, Sukkot, Kosher Slaughter
Tags: 19th century C.E., animals, Breslov, animal welfare, anti-predatory, Bratslav, 55th century A.M., Likutei Tefilot, Ḥasidei Bratslav, being human, menschlekite 
A prayer for Sukkot linking the theme of home building and receiving Torah with a warning not to eat animals and to extend ones compassion to all creatures. . . .
Contributor(s): David Seidenberg, neohasid.org and Noam Sienna
Shared on ט״ו בתשרי ה׳תשע״ג (2012-09-30) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Art & Craft, Sukkot
Tags: Ancestors, archetypes, sefirot, קבלה kabbalah, spirits, North America, אושפיזין ushpizin, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., ecoḥasid, Avot and Imahot, in the merit of our ancestors, אושפיזתא Ushpizata, Prayers inside sukkot 
The essential idea of the liturgy of Ushpizin is to invoke the energies of the seven lower Sefirot in the proper order, so that Shefa, blessing and sustenance, can be drawn down into the world. This is the essence of Kabbalistic liturgy, and a liturgy of the imahot would only make sense if it were to follow that pattern. That means we have the playfully serious task of finding a stable order for the imahot where no clear order exists. . . .
As part of our ongoing project creating a new digital edition of Fanny Neuda’s collection of tkhines in German, Stunden Der Andacht (1855), we are setting her prayers (for the first time ever) side by side with that of her work’s first English translation. . . .
Herr des Weltalls, reich geschmückt mit deinen Gaben und Segnungen hast du die Natur. Das Thal mit seinem üppigen Grün, der Berg mit seinem Kranz von Wäldern, das Gefilde mit seiner lachenden Frucht ist ein Erzeugnis; deiner Gnade, zum Segen deiner Menschenkinder, zur Nahrung ihres Leibes, zur Stillung ihrer Bedürfnisse, zur Ergötzung ihres Auges, zum Balsam ihrer Wunden; und kein Blättchen ist so klein, kein Grashalm so niedrig in dem weiten Reiche der Natur, daß es nicht wohlthuende heilsame Kräfte für uns enthielte. . . .
A prayer for a woman celebrating the first yontef of Sukkot. . . .
Contributor(s): Gabbai Seth Fishman (translation) and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
Shared on י״ח בתשרי ה׳תשע״ו (2015-09-30) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Sukkot, Hoshana Rabbah, Ecotastrophes
Tags: 20th century C.E., eco-conscious, North America, Hoshana Rabbah, hoshanot, 58th century A.M., hakafot 
A supplemental Hoshanot liturgy for Sukkot confessing a selection of humanity’s crimes against creation. . . .
A litany of hoshanot for use in a ritual prayer circle march on the festival of Sukkot. . . .
A litany of hoshanot for use in a ritual prayer circle march on the festival of Sukkot. . . .
The words of Greta Thunberg adapted for a prayer for intervention in the antroppgenic climate crisis, for a Honshana ritual for Sukkot. . . .
A supplemental hoshana (prayer for salvation) for healing and consolation for the sake of true love, needed blessings, rainfall in a timely fashion, paths and their repair, mountains and their crossing, goals and objectives, lasting memories, good dreams, cosmic goodness, etc. . . .
Contributor(s): Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
Shared on י״ב בתשרי ה׳תשע״ח (2017-10-02) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International free-culture license
Categories: Sukkot
Tags: סליחות seliḥot, North America, Imahot, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., in the merit of our ancestors, Divine Presence, שכינה Shekhinah, Biblical Women, Mi She’anah, Tishrei Zman, אושפיזתא Ushpizata 
There is a famous Seliḥot prayer where each of its lines has this structure: “May He who answered ___________, may he answer us.” The blank refers to assorted Biblical figures who faced great challenges, ranging from Avraham the Patriarch to Ezra the Scribe. The traditional list is also VERY male-focused, with the standard text only listing Esther from all the great Biblical women. This is a shame, and many have tried to remedy this. I have found myself under the opinion that all these remedies have a fault – they attempt to combine the original text with the new text. This means either the original text is shortened, or the full text is far too long. As well, the structure is very male-oriented as well, appealing to God’s male side and only using grammatically male language. . . .
This is one of my favourite Sukkot piyyutim, not least because of the wonderful and easily singable call-and-response melody! The seven verses each highlight one of the seven traditional ushpizin [mythic guests], and a few years ago I wrote an additional seven verses for the seven female ushpizata according to the order of Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid.org). . . .
Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Seril Rappaport
Shared on א׳ בתמוז ה׳תשע״ו (2016-07-06) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Pesaḥ, Rosh Hashanah, Mourning, Shavuot, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atseret (and Simḥat Torah)
Tags: תחינות tkhines, יזכור yizkor, תחינות teḥinot, 56th century A.M., 18th Century C.E., Yiddish vernacular prayer, Paraliturgical yizkor 
“Tkhine of the Matriarchs for Yizkor on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Yamim Tovim” by Rebbetsin Seril Rappaport is a faithful transcription of her tkhine included in “תחנה אמהות מן ראש חודש אלול” (Tkhine of the Matriarchs for the New Moon of Elul) published in Vilna, 1874, as re-published in The Merit of Our Mothers בזכות אמהות A Bilingual Anthology of Jewish Women’s Prayers, compiled by Rabbi Tracy Guren Klirs, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1992. shgiyot mi yavin, ministarot nakeni. . . .
Contributor(s): Virginia Spatz
Shared on י״ג בתשרי ה׳תשע״ב (2011-10-11) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Sukkot
Tags: liberation 
Aware of the willow [aravah], we awaken our “mouths,” our ability to communicate by voice, hand or type; we acknowledge the precious gift of communications from others, the 99% and the 1%, about their circumstances, their needs, offerings and hopes. Aware of the palm branch [lulav], we awaken our “spines,” our central strength; we acknowledge fellow citizens who take a stand, whether we agree with their stand or not, toward a vision of common good. Aware of the myrtle [hadas], we awaken our “eyes,” our ability to receive through whichever channels are available to us; we acknowledge our responsibility to remain open to others’ thoughts and experiences while also exercising discernment. Aware of the citron [etrog], we awaken our “hearts,” our source of connection; we acknowledge our inter-dependence and the importance of standing, expressing ourselves and learning from others. . . .
This is Fanny Neuda’s “Prayer for the final days of Sukkot,” faithfully transcribed and proofread with the help of German Wikisource contributors from Fanny Neuda’s Stunden Der Andacht (1855), p. 66. . . .
Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady and Unknown Author(s)
Shared on כ״ב באייר ה׳תשע״ב (2012-05-14) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Pesaḥ, Ḥanukkah, Shavuot, Tehilim Book 2 (Psalms 42–72), Shabbat, Sukkot, Sefirat ha'Omer, Slavery & Captivity
Tags: acrostic, labyrinth, cyclical, barley, wheat, first fruits, anxiety, Psalms 67, raḥav, shalmah, a red ribbon, walled cities, captives, אנא בכח Ana b'Khoaḥ, 42 letter divine name, Divine name acrostic 
Psalm 67 is a priestly blessing for all the peoples of the earth to be sustained by the earth’s harvest (yevulah), and it is a petition that all humanity recognize the divine nature (Elohim) illuminating the world. Composed of seven verses, the psalm is often visually depicted as a seven branched menorah. There are 49 words in the entire psalm, and in the Nusaḥ ha-ARI z”l there is one word for each day of the Sefirat haOmer. Similarly, the fifth verse has 49 letters and each letter can be used as a focal point for meditating on the meaning of the day in its week in the journey to Shavuot, the festival of weeks (the culmination of the barley harvest), and the festival of oaths (shevuot) in celebration of receiving the Torah. Many of the themes of Psalm 67 are repeated in the prayer Ana b’Koaḥ, which also has 49 words, and which are also used to focus on the meaning of each day on the cyclical and labyrinthine journey towards Shavuot. . . .
Contributor(s): United States Congressional Record and Hannah Spiro
Shared on י״ז בתשרי ה׳תשע״ט (2018-09-25) — under the following terms: Public Domain (17 U.S. Code §105 - Subject matter of copyright: United States Government works)
Categories: Sukkot, Opening Prayers for Legislative Bodies
Tags: welcoming, תחינות teḥinot, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, United States of America, House of Representatives, 115th Congress, Prayers of Guest Chaplains, United States Immigration Policy, hospitality, hakhnasat orḥim 
The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 24 September 2018. . . .
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