הֲבִינֵנוּ | Havinenu, a short form of the Amidah by Mar Shmuel bar Abba, adapted by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi from a paraphrasing by Rev. Joseph F. Stern

Joseph Frederick Stern — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 09:36:49 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Adaptation (English, J.F. Stern)	Adaptation (English, Z. Schachter-Shalomi)
		If you are pressed for time, you can use this short version.
הֲבִינֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָדַעַת אֶת דְּרָכֶיךָ וּמוֹל אֶת לְבָבֵנוּ לְיִרְאָתְךָ	Cause us, O Lord! to understand Thy ways, And fill our hearts with rev’rent fear, all our days.	Help us Yah, To understand your ways, And sensitize our hearts, With reverence all our days.
לְסוֹלֵחַ הֱיֵה לָנוּ לִהְיוֹת גְּאוּלִים רַחֲקֵנוּ מִמַּכְאוֹב וְדַשְׁנֵנוּ	Forgive us, we entreat Thee, each sin, That redemption we may hope to win. In Thy merciful goodness pain and suff’ring allay, And satisfy us with Thine abundance, we pray.	Forgive us, with compassion, each sin, That redemption we may hope to win. In your caring, take our pain and suffering away, And satisfy us, with your abundance, we pray.
וְשַׁכְּנֵנוּ בִּנְאוֹת אַרְצְךָ וּנְפוֹצִים מֵאַרְבַּע תְּקַבֵּץ	With Thine all-powerful and tremendous hand Our scattered ones gather together to our own land.	With your all-powerful and tremendous hand, Our scattered ones Bring together to our own land.
וְהַתּוֹעִים בְּדַעְתְּךָ יִשָּׁפְטוּ וְעַל הָרְשָׁעִים תָּנִיף יָדְךָ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ צַדִּיקִים בְּבִנְיַן עִירֶךָ וּבְתִקּוּן הֵיכָלֶךָ	Transgressors, O mighty Being, judge Thou, Sinners to Thy just wrath shall submissively bow. When Thy sacred city with joy we rebuild And Thy Sanctuary with Thy glorious presence be fill’d,	May justice be effective, And righteousness prevail. May evil plots be razed and fail. But righteous efforts Be well regarded. And those who serve goodness Be rewarded When your sacred city, With joy we rebuild. And your House of Prayer With all peoples be fill’d.
	Then with a loud and exultant voice Will the righteous, O God of Israel, rejoice.	Then with a loud and exultant voice, Will the righteous, O God of Yisrael, rejoice.
וּבִצְמִיחַת קֶרֶן לְדָוִד עַבְדֶּךָ	Let it be Thy divine will speedily to restore The House of David, Thy servant, as of yore.	Let it be your divine will, to speedily found A messianic life for all abound.
וּבַעֲרִיכַת נֵר לְבֶן יִשַּׁי מְשִׁיחֶךָ	And may the light of the son of Jesse blaze As in reverence Thy hallowed Name we praise.	And, may the light of peace, Brightly blaze, As in reverence, Your sacred Name we praise.
טֶרֶם נִקְרָא אַתָּה תַּעֲנֶה טֶרֶם נְדָּבָר וְאַתָּה תַּשְׁמָע כַּדָּבָר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ”וְהָיָה טֶרֶם יִקְרָאוּ וַאֲנִי אֶעֱנֶה עוֹד הֵם מְדַבְּרִים וַאֲנִי אֶשְׁמָע“ (ישעיה סה:כד) כִּי אַתָּה הוּא עוֹנֶה בְּכָל עֵת פּוֹדֶה וּמַצִּיל מִכָּל צוּקָה בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ‎ שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה:	For Thou who hearkenest to the voice of Prayer, Art blessed Thy people, O Lord! declare	For you do hear The voice of Prayer, Are blessed! This we declare. Amen

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his adaptation of Rabbi Joseph F. Stern’s (East London Synagogue, ca. early 20th c.) adaptation of the “Havinenu,” short form of the Amidah in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). While I have not been able to find where Rabbi Stern’s adaptation was originally published, it was reprinted in the Daily Prayer Book of Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz, p. 160. (See below for the page image.) To the best of my ability, I have set his English translation side-by-side with the nusaḥ of Havinenu as found in Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah.^[1] Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 2:3 I have replaced anglicizations and removed capitalization for divine pronouns. –Aharon N. Varady

The earliest version of “Havinenu” appears in the Talmud in the name of Mar Shmuel. Here is Berakhot 29a with the version of Bavli Berakhot in Kol Bo 11:44-45 appearing in [brackets] and the version left out of the Yerushalmi Berakhot appearing in (parentheses). The version of the Havinenu found in the Mishneh Torah follows the Bavli and adds the verse from Isaiah and it’s explanation, both of which are also found in the Kol Bo’s version of the Bavli nusaḥ.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
רבי יהושע אומר מעין שמנה עשרה:	[We learned in the mishna that] Rabbi Yehoshua says [that each day one recites] an abridged [version of the prayer of] eighteen blessings.
מאי מעין שמנה עשרה	[The Gemara asks:] What [is the] abridged [version of the prayer of] eighteen blessings?
רב אמר מעין כל ברכה וברכה	[There are different opinions.] Rav said: [One recites] an abridged [version] of each and every blessing.
ושמואל אמר	Shmuel said: [An abridged version of the prayer of eighteen blessings refers to a blessing composed specifically to be recited in place of the thirteen middle blessings. It contains references to each of the thirteen middle blessings. The formula for that blessing is:]
הביננו ה׳ אלהינו לדעת דרכיך ומול את לבבנו ליראתך ותסלח לנו להיות גאולים ורחקנו ממכאובינו ודשננו בנאות ארצך ונפוצותינו מארבע [כנפות הארץ] תקבץ והתועים על דעתך ישפטו ועל הרשעים תניף ידיך וישמחו צדיקים בבנין עירך ובתקון היכלך (ובצמיחת קרן לדוד עבדך ובעריכת נר לבן ישי משיחך) טרם נקרא [ו]אתה תענה [טרם נדבר ואתה תשמע כַּדָּבָר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ”וְהָיָה טֶרֶם יִקְרָאוּ וַאֲנִי אֶעֱנֶה עוֹד הֵם מְדַבְּרִים וַאֲנִי אֶשְׁמָע“ (ישעיה סה:כד) כי אתה הוא עונה בעת צרה פודה ומציל בכל עת צרה וצוקה] ברוך אתה ה׳ שומע תפלה	Grant us understanding, YHVH our elo’ah, to know your ways, and circumscribe our minds so that we may fear you,^[2] or, ‘that our predatory inclination may be tempered by you.’ –ANV and forgive us so that we may be redeemed, and keep us far from our suffering, and satisfy us with the pastures of your land, and gather our scattered people from the four corners of the earth, and those who go astray shall be judged according to your will, and raise your hand against the wicked, and may the righteous rejoice in the rebuilding of your city, and the restoration of your Sanctuary, and in the flourishing of your servant David, and in establishing a light for the descendant of Yishai, your Moshiaḥ.^[3] Kol Bo cites the Yerushalmi here, which provides only “וישמחו כל חוסים בך בבנין עירך ובחדוש בית מקדשך” and this conforms more closely to the version of Rabbi Stern which Reb Zalman adapted. Before we call, may you answer. Before we speak, may you hear. as it is said, “And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24); for you are the One who answers in all times of trouble, who delivers and rescues from all distress, Blessed are you, YHVH, who listens to prayer.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 2:3
2	or, ‘that our predatory inclination may be tempered by you.’ –ANV
3	Kol Bo cites the Yerushalmi here, which provides only “וישמחו כל חוסים בך בבנין עירך ובחדוש בית מקדשך” and this conforms more closely to the version of Rabbi Stern which Reb Zalman adapted.

tagged: Prayers in the Jerusalem Talmud • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

הֲבִינֵנוּ | Havinenu, a short form of the Amidah by Mar Shmuel bar Abba, adapted by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi from a paraphrasing by Rev. Joseph F. Stern

Source(s)