the Open Siddur Project ✍︎ פְּרוֹיֶּקט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ
a community-grown, libre Open Access archive of Jewish prayer and liturgical resources
This project is sustained through reciprocity for those sharing prayers and crafting their own prayerbooks.
Get Involved ✶ Upload Work ✶ Donate ✶ Giftshop בסיעתא דשמיא | ||
Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 27 February 2018. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Mara Nathan on 19 January 2018 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 19 January 2018. . . . תפילת הדרך | Tefilat haDerekh, a traveler’s prayer for safety and peace (trans. Rabbi David Seidenberg, neohasid.org) Contributor(s): In this Tefilat haDerekh (the prayer for travel), I’ve made a synthesis of Ashkenazi and Sefardi nusaḥ. Even though the translation is pretty close to literal in most places, it comes across as an extraordinary and activist prayer for peace. So I think of this prayer not just as a prayer for the beginning a physical journey, but for any spiritual journey, and especially for any campaign or action for justice and peace that a person or group might undertake. When applied to activism, the “enmity and ambush and theft and predation” we ask to be rescued from could also be interpreted as hatred, deceit, jealousy, and aggression, i.e., the kinds of feelings that cause people to work against each other, even within an organization, instead of working together. I first used this version of the prayer at the beginning of a tour of Israel and Palestine focused on the human rights and non-violent resistance, when the group passed through the first checkpoint of the trip. . . . תפילה בין השריפות | Prayer between the Fires (between the 32nd and 42nd days of the Omer, neohasid.org) Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: This is a prayer to be read between the 17th and the 27th of Iyyar (בין י״ז ו-כ״ז באייר), between the 32nd (ל״ב) and 42nd (מ״ב) days of the Omer. . . . Kavvanah between Lag ba-Omer and Yom haQeshet (27 Iyyar, the 42nd day of the Omer), by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid.org) Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: This is a prayer to be read between the 18th and the 27th of Iyyar (בין י״ח ו-כ״ז באייר), between the 33rd (ל״ג) and 42nd (מ״ב) days of the Omer. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: These are piyyutim written in a traditional style, meant to introduce the opening of each book in the Torah. These piyyutim can be used at any time the opening line of the reading is said – on the Shabbat Minḥa/Monday/Thursday prior to the reading OR on the Shabbat morning of the reading proper. Because of this, the sheets arranged including the readings use two sizes – a larger size for the shorter first reading for weekdays, and a smaller size for the full first reading on Shabbatot. They can only be read when the first verse of the book is read. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: This is a petition for the worker in the style of “Av Haraḥamim” and similar texts, using Biblical and Mishnaic language and co-opting it into a new meaning. It could be read after the Torah service (like many other petitionary texts) or focused on in private. The Biblical relationship between God, humanity, and labor is fascinating. Often it is treated as a curse placed upon us, and just as often as the purpose of humanity. In Genesis 3:19 it is the curse placed upon a disobedient First Adam, but less than a chapter earlier in Genesis 2:15 it is the reason for First Adam’s creation in the first place! In the past century or so, traditional Judaism has somewhat tilted away from the ideas of worker’s rights so clearly stated in the Tanakh and in rabbinic texts. Partially this was to disassociate from the Bundists, partially out of fear of “looking too Communist” in a xenophobic American society, and partially because the Jewish working class is nowhere near as substantial a part of the community as it once was. If this text is meant to do anything, it’s to show that love of God and love of the worker aren’t opposed to each other – in fact, they go hand in hand! . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: 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! . . . הברכה שמח תשמח | Blessing for Joy: A Poetic Rendering of Sheva Brakhah no. 6 (Same’aḥ T’samaḥ), by Daniel Kieval Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: This is a poetic rendering of the sixth blessing (of the Sheva Brakhot/7 Blessings) for a wedding. It riffs off of themes and language in the Hebrew text of joy, love, and companionship, and invocations of the Garden of Eden, creation, and eternity. Written originally for the wedding of friends; I hope you’ll feel free to adapt and rework it however suits your needs! . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: This prayer for planting was composed by Zeev Kainan for Tu biShvat (2018) for the Masorti Movement for Conservative Judaism in Israel. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A plea to not become numb in the face of overwhelming cruelty. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: Flash floods are dangerous in every season, but are rare in the dry season, after most rain and snow are thought to have fallen. Changes in the global climate due to global warming caused by anthropogenic activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and the conversion of land for raising animals for their meat is a significant contributor to extreme weather experienced around the world. The Masorti Movement of Israel’s prayer for flood victims was first published on their website, here. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A prayer for justice offered for the Poor People’s Campaign Rally for Action at Grace Lutheran Church in Evanston on March 22, 2018. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner on 24 October 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 24 October 2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 1 September 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 1 September 2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 18 August 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 18 August 2017 . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 27 June2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Hershel Lutch on 21 June 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 21 June2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim on 17 May 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 17 May 2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Richard Boruch Rabinowitz on 3 May 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 3 May 2017. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Sanford Akselrad on 28 March 2017 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 28 March 2017. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 31 January 2017. . . . Contributor(s): I offer here a prayer for the Earth, which you may wish to use in your personal prayer practice or as part of a community to which you belong. It could be included as one of the prayers after reading the Torah. . . . תְּפִילַת הוֹלְכִים לְאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה | Prayer for Those Leaving Home for University, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A prayer for the safety and success of those leaving home to go off to college and university. When children go off to college, parents can feel worried about the future of their children. Empty-nest syndrome can set in and spiritual guidance is often needed. This prayer uses the idioms of Biblical and siddur language to create a text for parents who worry about their children’s future as they head off on their own. It could be said 49 days after Tekufat Tammuz in the diaspora (August 28 or 29 after a leap year – approximately the time when college terms begin in the US) or on the first Saturday after Shmini Atzeret ba’aretz (approximately when college terms begin in Israel) . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Shea Hecht on 30 November 2016 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 30 November 2016. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff on 18 July 2016 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 18 July 2016. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Jay Weinstein on 17 May 2016 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 17 May 2016. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi John Linder on 22 March 2016 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 22 March 2016. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 3 February 2016. . . . תפילה לעת שרפה – וחמת האש תשכך | Prayer for the Wildfires to Subside (Masorti Foundation, trans. by R’ Jonah Rank) Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: The Prayer for the Fire (תפילה לעת שרפה) was first published by the Masorti Foundation at their website here in response to the November 2016 wildfires in Israel. Translation by Rabbi Jonah Rank. Transcription by Aharon Varady. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: The full text of Rabbi Julie Schonfeld’s benediction offered at the end of the first day of the Democratic National Convention, July 25th, 2016. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: A prayer for the electorate to be recited together with the Prayer for Government on the Shabbat before an election (federal, state, or local). . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A prayer-poem for Rosh Ḥodesh Adar Alef which occurs on Jewish leap years (before the month of Adar containing the festival of Purim). . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A worker’s prayer by Rabbi Stephen Belsky, dedicated to Noam Ezra ben haRav Moshe z”l. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Claudio Kogan on 10 June 2015 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 10 June 2015. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 9 June 2015. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Michael Siegel on 30 April 2015 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 30 April 2015. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: A translation in Arabic and English of Rabbi Nava Hafetz’s prayer for the children of the world. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 11 December 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Dovid Cohen on 10 July 2014 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 10 July 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Israel Zoberman on 25 June 2014 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 25 June 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Michael Lotker on 18 June 2014 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 18 June 2014. . . . Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. Senate on 12 June 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Eytan Hammerman on 11 June 2014 Contributor(s): Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 11 June 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Stephen Roth on 29 May 2014 Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 29 May 2014. . . . Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld on 23 May 2014 Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 23 May 2014. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A prayer to be recited upon donating blood. In Israel, there are major blood drives around the times of Rosh Hashana and Pesaḥ, so the prayer borrows themes from both of those holidays. It emphasizes both the tzedaka aspect of blood donation and the ancient symbolic resonances of blood sacrifice. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: A teḥinah (supplication) for divine help after terrible violence that interferes with the recognition of each person being made in the likeness of the divine image. . . . Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: This is pre-Shabbos reflection that can be done in a shower or bath. Shabbat is a time when I am less focused on my selfish desires and instead my thoughts drift to my place in the larger community and world. I find myself doing some version of this before Shabbos most weeks and am welcome for the time to reflect on truly what it is to cease from lay work and consider the work that needs to be done to make the world a better place. . . . תְּפִלָּה לְהַצָּלָה מִפִּגּוּעֵי טֶרוֹר | Prayer for Rescue from Terror Attacks | Bön om skydd från terrorhot, by R’ Hillel Ḥayyim Lavery-Yisraëli (2014) Contributor(s): Categories: Tags: Let us not fear or be afraid, for you are our protector. “…Jacob shall return and live in peace and security; no one will terrify him again.” Guard our going out and our coming in, from now until eternity, and let us say, Amen. . . . | ||
Sign up for a summary of new resources shared by contributors each week
|