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tag: military Sorted Chronologically (old to new). Sort most recent first? This letter, written in Imperial Aramaic in 419 BCE, is among the vast number of papyrus letters found in Elephantine, also known as Yeb. The Jewish (or more accurately, Judean) community of Yeb is a fascinating bit of history — a group of Judean mercenaries who settled in Egypt and built their own smaller temple! Although their origin was clearly Judean, and they referred to themselves as the ḥeila yehudaya = Judean garrison, their form of worship featured no Deuteronomic centralization, no discussion of the patriarchs, and questionable monotheism! Although the primary deity was YHW (note the difference in spelling), multiple other deities or hypostatized aspects of divinity were worshipped, and verbs for the word “God” are conjugated in the plural rather than the singular. This text is one of a series of letters written between the brothers Yedaniah and Ḥananiah. In this case, it is giving instructions for keeping the holiday of Pesaḥ. These instructions are interesting in their own right — the prohibition on beer could alternatively be read as a prohibition on any alcoholic drink, which would align with Karaite practice rather than rabbinic. But what’s even more interesting is what isn’t mentioned — the instructions given mention nothing whatsoever about the exodus from Egypt, or even God! The diktat to observe the holiday is accredited not to God or Moses, but to Darius, king of the Achaemenid Empire! This passage is a fascinating taste of a part of Judaism that we know very little about. Vocalization according to Tiberian norms and translation into English by the translator. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): It is challenging to think of how to mark Nicanor Day, as it remains at a disadvantage, not only on years when it conflicts with Ta’anit Esther but on all years since it has no mitzvot. This is probably the main reason that, unlike Chanukah and Purim, it was lost to Jewish practice for more than a thousand years. Nevertheless, we do have its megillah, which has been translated into Hebrew and English. Perhaps, if we start reading chapters 13-15 of 2 Maccabees, even just to ourselves, on the 13 of Adar, we can begin to resurrect a holiday that was celebrated and instituted by Judah Maccabee and his followers over two millennia ago, and which they envisioned would continue throughout Jewish History. With the return of Jews to Israel and Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem, I believe it is about time. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): This is a prayer for those fallen in the battle of Kápolna, a decisive battle during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, written by István Roboz (1826-1916). Translated into numerous languages, the prayer was widely misattributed to enlightened president of Hungary, Lajos Kossuth. Circulated in translation and attributed to Kossuth, the prayer helped to cement his popularity among Jews worldwide praying for liberty from despotic regimes inclined for various reasons towards Jew hatred. . . . Categories: Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Battle of Kápolna, Emancipation, Hungarian Revolution of 1848, Kingdom of Hungary, Lajos Kossuth, Magyar vernacular prayer, military, Revolutions of 1848 Contributor(s): A small prayerbook for German-Jewish men serving as military personnel on behalf of the German Empire (Second Reich) during what later became known as World War Ⅰ. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., German Empire, German Jewry, German vernacular prayer, military, Second Reich, Teḥinot in German, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): A bilingual Hebrew-English prayerbook for soldiers and sailors in the service of His Majesty’s army and navy during World War One . . . This prayer appears to have been issued for Jewish soldiers serving in the German army at the start of World War Ⅰ and was recited in the synagogues in Fürth, Germany in 1914. The prayer was printed as a single leaflet by the printer Druck von Lehrberger & Co. in Frankfurt am Main. A leaflet ended up in the Central Chabad Lubavitch Library in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY (Card #87119), although no explanation has been offered how a Chasidic group based in Russia came to acquire this work. The original leaflet was digitized and made accessible via the Chabad library website. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., Fürth, German Empire, German Jewry, military, Second Reich, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): “Prayer for Sailors and Soldiers on Active Service,” was likely written by Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz and published at the outset of the Prayer Book for Jewish Sailors and Soldiers [of H.M. Forces] (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1914), p. 5. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., British Jewry, English vernacular prayer, German Empire, military, Second Reich, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): “Prayer Composed by the Chief Rabbi on the Declaration of War. (August 1914.),” by Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz, was published in the Prayer Book for Jewish Sailors and Soldiers [of H.M. Forces] (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1914), p. 32. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., British Jewry, German Empire, military, Second Reich, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): The first bilingual and interdenominational prayerbook prepared for soldiers and sailors in the United States Army & Navy in World War I. . . . “[Prayer] for those at home,” a variation of a prayer by Rev. Howard A. Bridgman (1860-1929), is found adapted (without Christian god-language) by Rabbi Morris S. Lazaron in his World War Ⅰ era prayerbook, Side Arms: Readings, Prayers and Meditations for Soldiers and Sailors (1918), on page 25. The original version of the prayer was first published in The Service Song Book (Young Men’s Christian Associations 1917), pp. 86 in the abridged edition. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., ecumenical prayers, English vernacular prayer, military, מוסר mussar, prayers of military chaplains, United States home front during World War Ⅰ, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): A small prayerbook for British-Jewish men serving as military personnel on behalf of the British Empire during what later became known as World War Ⅰ. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., British Commonwealth, British Empire, British Jewry, English vernacular prayer, military, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): An ecumenical prayerbook for men serving as United States military personnel during what later became known as World War Ⅰ. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., American Jewry of the United States, ecumenical prayers, English vernacular prayer, masculinity, military, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): “[Prayer] for the Day’s Round in camp,” a variation of a prayer by Rev. Howard A. Bridgman (1860-1929), is found adapted (without Christian god-language) by Rabbi Morris S. Lazaron in his World War Ⅰ era prayerbook, Side Arms: Readings, Prayers and Meditations for Soldiers and Sailors (1918), on pages 24-25. The original version of the prayer was first published in The Service Song Book (Young Men’s Christian Associations, 1917), pp. 82-83 in the abridged edition. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., ecumenical prayers, English vernacular prayer, military, מוסר mussar, prayers of military chaplains, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): This “Prayer for the Success of the Disarmament Conference at Washington [D.C.]” (12 November 1921) was prepared by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire, Joseph Herman Hertz. The prayer was recited on Shabbat after the prayer for the British royal family. . . . Categories: Tags: 20th century C.E., 57th century A.M., British Jewry, military, United Kingdom, Washington Naval Conference, World War Ⅰ Contributor(s): An abridged prayer book for Jewish personnel in the service of the British armed forces in 1940, prepared by the Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire, Joseph H. Hertz, based upon the 1917 prayer book offered during the first World War. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): “Prayer for Men on Active Service” is the opening prayer in the Prayer Book of Jewish Members of H.M. Forces (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1940), p. 4. . . . “Prayer Before a Battle” appears at the start of Prayer Book of Jewish Members of H.M. Forces (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1940), p. 5. . . . This prayer for victory and deliverance in the war against Nazi Germany, simply titled “War Prayer,” appears in the Prayer Book of Jewish Members of H.M. Forces (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1940), pp. 16-17. Sections of the prayer were adapted from the prayer on the declaration of war by Rabbi Hertz in 1914 at the outset of World War I. In the preface to the payer book, Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz specifically mentions this prayer, among others, as having been newly revised for this publication. The initial version of the prayer, likely to have been written by Rabbi Hertz, was published by the Office of the Chief Rabbi for a 17 Tammuz service in July 1938. A revision was disseminated after Kristallnacht (9-10 November 1938). This is the third version of the prayer. . . . An abridged siddur prepared for use of Jewish military personnel serving in the armed forces of the United States in advance of World War II, and printed by the Jewish Publication Society. . . . Categories: Tags: Contributor(s): “Prayer for Intercession,” almost certainly written by Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz, was published in the Prayer Book of Jewish Members of H.M. Forces (Office of the Chief Rabbi 1940), pp. 18-19. . . . | ||
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