
Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady
Shared on ה׳ באייר ה׳תשע״ג (2013-04-15) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Conflicts over Sovereignty and Dispossession, Earth, our Collective Home & Life-Support System, Yom Ha'atsma'ut (5 Iyyar), Independence Day (July 4th), Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday of November)
Tags: eco-conscious, Gratitude, על הנסים al hanissim, acquisition, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Indigenous Peoples, Nodeh L'kha, primordial scream, stewardship, shomrah ul'ovdah, colonization, conquest, settlement, refugees, immigration, sanctuary, subjugation, hegemony, Needing Translation (into Hebrew), מודים Modim
Opportunities to express gratitude on secular, nationalist days of thanksgiving demand acknowledgement of an almost unfathomably deep history of trauma — not only the suffering and striving of my immigrant ancestors, but the sacrifice of all those who endured suffering dealt by their struggle to survive, and often failure to survive, the oppressions dealt by colonization, conquest, hegemony, natural disaster. Only the Earth (from which we, earthlings were born, Bnei Adam from Adamah) has witnessed the constancy of the violent deprivations we inflict upon each other. The privilege I’ve inherited from these sacrifices has come at a cost, and it must be honestly acknowledged, especially on secular/national days of thanksgiving, independence, and freedom. I insert this prayer after Al Hanissim in the Amidah and in the Birkat Hamazon on national days of independence and thanksgiving. . . .
An al hanissim prayer for the State of Israel’s Day of Independence. . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Moritz Mayer
Shared on ל׳ בסיון ה׳תש״פ (2020-06-22) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication
Categories: Well-being, health, and caregiving
Tags: 19th century C.E., Gratitude, thankfulness, תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., Jewish Women's Prayers, English vernacular prayer, thanksgiving, ברכת הגומל birkat hagomel, מודים Modim
A prayer of gratitude for a woman who has survived dangerous circumstances. . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Marcus Heinrich Bresslau
Shared on כ״ג בסיון ה׳תש״פ (2020-06-15) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication
Categories: Well-being, health, and caregiving
Tags: 19th century C.E., thankfulness, תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., Jewish Women's Prayers, English vernacular prayer, thanksgiving, ברכת הגומל birkat hagomel, מודים Modim
A thanksgiving prayer on recovering from a serious illness. . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (translation), Jonas Ennery and Arnaud Aron
Shared on ט׳ בתמוז ה׳תש״פ (2020-07-01) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Well-being, health, and caregiving
Tags: 19th century C.E., Gratitude, תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., French Jewry, French vernacular prayer, thanksgiving, reciprocity, מודים Modim
A prayer of gratitude after a dangerous and distressing situation is resolved for the good. . . .
A short prayer of gratitude in the midst of a global pandemic and civil unrest. . . .
Modeh Ani first appeared as an addendum in Seder ha-Yom (1599) by Moshe ibn Makhir of Safed. A slightly different formula offers a deep insight into who and what has returned to one’s self upon waking. . . .
A prayer for a woman celebrating the first yontef of Sukkot. . . .
This text uses the passage for the Askenazi nusach of the Modim d’Rabbanan and incorporates it into an extended version of the Modim, slightly editing it so as to fit more appropriately and so as not to repeat the word “modim” (which is forbidden on the grounds of appearing, ḥas v’shalom, to pray to multiple deities—see Berakhot 33b). It was first written for a separate project by the editor (https://opensiddur.org/prayers/lunisolar/musaf/dukhening-in-a-musaf-amidah-after-a-heykhe-qedushah-by-isaac-gantwerk-mayer/) but here it can be found alone. It can be silently recited when praying alone or after a heykhe kedusha, to replace the first paragraph of the Modim prayer. . . .

Contributor(s): Menachem Creditor
Shared on כ״ב באב ה׳תשע״ח (2018-08-03) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Well-being, health, and caregiving
Tags: Gratitude, North America, all bodies, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, thanksgiving, pain, Needing Translation (into Hebrew), מודים Modim
Rabbi Menachem Creditor first shared this prayer in the Open Siddur Project discussion group on Facebook, here. . . .
If it is a mitsvah to guard our lives and strengthen our bodies in service of our holy mission, then there should be a brakhah (blessing) before we start a session of vigorous activity; any excuse to add blessings to our day is a wonderful opportunity for personal growth! . . .

Contributor(s): Aharon N. Varady (translation) and Fanny Schmiedl-Neuda
Shared on כ״ח בסיון ה׳תש״פ (2020-06-19) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Travel
Tags: 19th century C.E., ocean, storm, תחינות teḥinot, 57th century A.M., Teḥinot in German, German vernacular prayer, Bohemian Jewry, thanksgiving, travel by water, prayers on ships, מודים Modim
A prayer offered after a difficult ocean voyage. . . .

Contributor(s): the Aronin Family, Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Ben Aronin
Shared on כ״א בשבט ה׳תשע״ט (2019-01-27) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Labor, Fulfillment, and Parnassah
Tags: 20th century C.E., Gratitude, first person, 58th century A.M., Distress, Prayers as poems, English vernacular prayer, Chicago, thanksgiving, depression, מודים Modim
The poem, “Psalm of Gratitude” by the Jewish poet and educator, Ben Aronin. . . .

Contributor(s): Ḥanan Schlesinger and Shoshana Michael Zucker (translation)
Shared on י״ד בתמוז ה׳תשע״ח (2018-06-27) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Sheva Asar b'Tamuz
Tags: Gratitude, על הנסים al hanissim, redemption, Religious Zionism, ארץ ישראל Erets Yisrael, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., ge'ulah, Y'mei Bein haMitsrim, Three Weeks of Mourning, ישראל Yisrael, Needing Vocalization, מודים Modim
An Al Hanissim supplement for Sheva Asar b’Tamuz that acknowledges the fast day in light of the apparent achievements of the State of Israel, post-1948. . . .
A prayer of thanksgiving for when it rains in a land needing rainfall. . . .
A prayer of thanksgiving for when it snows in a land needing snowfall (and ultimately, snowmelt). . . .
Every year on Yom ha-Atzmaut I feel a certain sense of frustration about its liturgy, and the failure of Religious Zionism to shape the holiday into one that would make a clear and definite religious statement. The “festive” prayer for Yom ha-Atzmaut is a hotchpotch of Yom Kippur, Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat Mevarkhim, and Pesaḥ. One gets a sense that there is an avoidance of hard issues. Even such a simple thing as saying Hallel with a blessing is not yet self-evident, but a subject of constant debate. Every year, there seem to be more leading rabbis, who adopt crypto-Ḥaredi stances, issuing pronunciamentos as to why one must not enter into the doubt of saying a brakha levatala, an unnecessary blessing, in this case. (As I was typing these words, I was interrupted by a phone call from a friend with this very question!) Bimhila mikvodam (no affront to the honor due them intended), but what on earth do they think the Talmud is talking about when it says that “On every occasion that Israel are in distress and then delivered, they are to recite the Hallel” (Pesaḥim 116a), if not the likes of Yom ha-Atzmaut? . . .

Contributor(s): Alan Jay Sufrin
Shared on ז׳ בניסן ה׳תשע״ג (2013-03-17) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International free-culture license
Categories: Labor, Fulfillment, and Parnassah
Tags: preparation, פיוטים piyyutim, public performance, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., performing artists, working, Needing Translation (into English), מודים Modim
This piyut (liturgical poem) arose after a very meaningful performance of mine in the summer of 2000. It was such a powerful experience that I was moved to say a prayer of thanks to G-d for the opportunity to perform my songs for audiences – but found no such prayer in existence. So I wrote this one. It took about a year to complete and I’ve been saying it backstage right before my performances, and sometimes before recording sessions, since then. . . .

Contributor(s): Chaya Kaplan-Lester
Shared on כ״ה בתשרי ה׳תשע״ח (2017-10-15) — under the following terms: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license
Categories: Labor, Fulfillment, and Parnassah
Tags: Gratitude, ירושלם Jerusalem, workers, 21st century C.E., פתיחות Petiḥot, 58th century A.M., כוונות kavvanot, Sunday, English vernacular prayer, Post-Ḥag, After Sukkot, kivun, First day of the week, God as co-worker, ישראל Yisrael, מודים Modim
Chaya Kaplan-Lester’s “Prayer for – Finally – Getting Back to WORK” was first published on her Facebook page, here. The Hebrew word Todah תודה, means grateful. The English word ‘ta-da!’ is an onomatopoetic form of a horn (Cf. 1913 Sphinx July 98/1): “Coming front in utter disgust, he [sc. a conjuror] tells them [sc. the orchestra] that that won’t do, that he wants something like ‘tadaa!’ from all of them. They seem to understand, so he goes off again. On his reappearance, however, he is met with a loud tumult, as all the orchestra shout out in unison the word ‘tadaa!’” (Oxford English Dictionary). . . .
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