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21st century C.E. —⟶ tag: 21st century C.E. Sorted Chronologically (old to new). Sort most recent first? This prayer was written on Friday, November 24th 2023, 11th of Kislev 5784, early afternoon (Israel Time), when we were all waiting to witness the first group of hostages come back home from captivity in the hands of Hamas. Having close friends who have relatives kidnapped who do not fit into the criteria of being released now, I was looking for words to pray at this moment. Referring to the words of Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai z”l, and his “remarks” on Kohelet’s “For everything there is a season”, I tried to describe how all feelings are mixed in these awful hours, and in the days since. I am thankful to Rabbi Ayelet Cohen for her translation of this prayer into English. –Rabbi Oded Mazor . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): A supplemental stanza to the popular 13th century piyyut, Maoz Tsur, for the Ḥanukkah occurring in the aftermath of the horrors on 7 October. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): An original Judeo-Arabic adaptation of the song “Oy Khanike” (derived from the Yiddish poem of the same name by Mordkhe Rivesman) also known in English as “Oh Ḥanukkah” or in Hebrew as “Y’mei ha-Ḥanukka.” With thanks to Mazen Haddad for his help with the Arabic! Some notes: 1) Case endings and nunation, which would (in colloquial dialects) often be skipped or dropped, are transcribed in brackets. 2) The word “sufnāj” is a Moroccan Arabic dialectal word which is the agent noun for sfenj, a traditional type of North African doughnut. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): An original Ladino adaptation of the song “Oy Khanike” (derived from the Yiddish poem of the same name by Mordkhe Rivesman) also known in English as “Oh Chanukah” or in Hebrew as “Y’mei ha-Ḥanukka.” I’m aware that the custom of spinning tops was not originally a Sefaradi one. So sue me, I was looking for something to rhyme with “libertaḏ.” I’ve included the Rashi script, the Aki Yerushalaim orthography, and (as an added bonus) the Cyrillic transcription used by the Jews of the Balkans. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): A supplemental stanza to the popular 13th century piyyut, Maoz Tsur, for the Ḥanukkah occurring in the aftermath of the horrors on 7 October, as written and shared by דנה פרל. . . . Categories: Tags: 2023-2024 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., מעוז צור Maoz Tsur, rhyming translation Contributor(s): In the midst of terrible violence and war in Israel and Gaza, these words came in response to the questions: how to engage meaningfully with Ḥanukkah in 5784 with integrity. How can it still be a source of wisdom and liberation? . . . Four things to pray and learn for the last night and day of Ḥanukkah. . . . Categories: Tags: 2023-2024 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, כוונות kavvanot, זאת חנוכה Zot Ḥanukkah Contributor(s): The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 12 December 2023 . . . Categories: Tags: 118th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., American Jewry of the United States, English vernacular prayer, U.S. Senate Contributor(s): “Ashamnu” was written by the author in response to the conflict in Gaza on 30 December 2023 and first published on 1 October 2024 on their Substack account. . . . Categories: Tags: 2023-2024 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Alphabetic Acrostic, אשמנו Ashamnu, English vernacular prayer, Prayers as poems, סליחות səliḥot, supplemental vidui, וידוי vidui Contributor(s): This is a macaronic poem for Yom Meturgeman. Macaronic poetry is poetry in multiple languages at once. In this case, the languages reflected are Hebrew, Aramaic, Judeo-Arabic, Yiddish, Ladino, and English, with a repeated Hebrew refrain. Each language is meant to rhyme with the colloquial Hebrew as it would be read — i.e. though the Yiddish doesn’t rhyme with the modern Hebrew pronunciation, it rhymes with the traditional Ashkenazi one. . . . Categories: Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., macaronic poetry, multilingual translation, פיוטים piyyuṭim, polyglot, universalist, universalist prayers, zemer Contributor(s): “Shirat Miriam and Devorah / Uri, Uri” (Song of Miriam, Song of Deborah / Rise up, Rise Up) was first published in 2024, as the second of four piyyutim published through the Diwan Ashira Project by Ephraim Kahn. . . . The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 25 January 2024. . . . Categories: Tags: 118th Congress, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., American Jewry of the United States, English vernacular prayer, חבּ״ד ḤaBaD Lubavitch, U.S. Senate Contributor(s): A kavvanah for the month of Adar in the pivotal US presidential election year of 2024 (the Jewish leap year of 5784). . . . This piyyut envisions Queen Esther’s prayer as she enters King Ahasuerus’ palace unbidden. In Tractate Megilla 15b, the sages associate verses from Psalm 22 with Esther in these pivotal moments. Written in the first person, this poem weaves together verses from Psalms and the Book of Esther, along with interpretations and commentaries of Talmudic Sages, to evoke Esther’s prayer at this crucial moment. Its structure mirrors the Rosh Hashanah piyyut “‘Et Sha‘are Ratson”, which recounts the binding of Isaac through the perspectives of its protagonists. Like Isaac, Esther is headed to a sacrifice, but she goes with full awareness and intent for the sake of her people. . . . Categories: Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Esther, תענית אסתר Fast of Esther, משתה Mishteh, פיוטים piyyuṭim, זמירות zemirot Contributor(s): A prayer-poem was written by Kohenet Ilana Joy Streit in January 2024. . . . This prayer was offered by Rabbi Andy Vogel and Rabbi Seth Goldstein and published at each of their websites on 3 April 2024. On Rabbi Vogel’s site, the prayer included the statement, “We encourage you to use the words of this prayer as you see fit; no attribution is needed.” . . . Categories: Tags: 2023-2024 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, פיקוח נפש piqoaḥ nefesh Contributor(s): This prayer for election day in the State of Israel (27 February 2024) was written and shared by Rabbi Noa Mazor, and shared in Hebrew and English via her Facebook page. . . . Categories: Tags: 2024 Israeli municipal elections, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., מדינת ישראל Medinat Yisrael, Needing Vocalization Contributor(s): “All Four (Are One),” riffing on the story in the haggadah of the four children, is a prayer-poem on the theme of intracommunal discord six months after October 7th (possibly reflected in the family dynamics at the seder table itself). Written by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, it was first published on the website of Bayit: Building Jewish on 2 April 2024. . . . A satirical look at contemporary Israeli civil society in Hebrew and English, as adapted from Tom Lehrer’s sardonic “National Brotherhood Week” (1965). . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): This variation on the discourse of the four children in the Haggadah was (barring minor edits) first composed for my family’s experimental small-scale seder in 2019, my second time ever leading a seder. I had come to the conclusion that for a text whose entire ikkar is for the children to learn, the Four Children narrative shows some shockingly bad pedagogy. So I decided to write a subversive take on it, where I applied its framework to some of the most serious problems facing the Jewish community today, and the mainline Jewish community’s failings in dealing with them. . . . Categories: Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., children, disagreement, Four Children, haggadah supplements, paraliturgical, pedagogy, satire Contributor(s): | ||
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