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Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Hannah Spiro on 5 September 2023 Contributor(s):The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 5 September 2023. . . . Contributor(s):I tried to look at different aspects of what we as Jews contemplate and think about as we move towards the High Holy Days. God’s view of what we did out of fear and loneliness and perhaps why we can never see God’s face and for us to reflect on how we act in the world and what God has asked us of in this lifetime. This poem/prayer is perhaps a little rough, that was intentional. Rather than being a true historical commentary on Elul, I tried to tell a little story about it. . . . Contributor(s):This is an egalitarian version of the Aneinu litany recited at the end of Seliḥot services, featuring equal representation for the women of the Tanakh and Talmud. . . . אדמה ושמים | Adamah v’Shamayim (Earth & Heaven), a prayer-poem by Rabbi Louis Polisson after the song by Shimon Lev-Tahor (Suissa) Contributor(s):This poem was composed at the end of August 2020 / Elul 5780 as part of Rabbi Katy Allen’s Earth Etudes for Elul 5780. . . . Contributor(s):A blessing for announcing the new moon of Elul, for Rosh Ḥodesh Elul, and for the whole month. A poem of kindness, rootedness and transformation as we enter into a time of turning and returning. . . . אוֹחִילָה לָאֵל | Oḥilah la’El, a reshut and a personal prayer offered by the shaliaḥ tsibbur, Yosef Goldman Contributor(s):“The personal prayer of this shaliaḥ tsibbur” with a translation of the piyyut “Oḥilah la’El” was first published on Facebook by Yosef Goldman and shared through the Open Siddur Project via its Facebook discussion group. . . . Contributor(s):A thought about the need to seek forgiveness from those you’ve wronged during this week before Yom Kippur: . . . מִי שֶׁעָנָה לָאִמָּהוֹת | Mi she-Anah la-Imahot (He who answered the foremothers), by Dr. Yael Levine (2017) Contributor(s):The Hebrew for “מִי שֶׁעָנָה לָאִמָּהוֹת” by Yael Levine was first published, with an introduction and a commentary, in September 2017, at kipa.co.il. The English translation for “Mi She-Anna La-Imahot,” by Yael Levine was made in 2018. . . . Kavvanah before Shofar Blowing on Rosh Ḥodesh Elul for Rosh haShanah la-Behemah (the Jewish New Year’s Day for Animals) Contributor(s):The text of this ritual shofar blowing for Rosh Ḥodesh Elul on Rosh haShanah La-Behemah developed as part of the annual ceremony taking place at the dairy barn on the campus of the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center beginning in 2009 under the auspices of Elat Chayyim Center for Jewish Spirituality and the Adamah Farm & Fellowship. The first Rosh haShanah ritual ceremony was co-developed by Rabbi Jill Hammer and Kohenet Sarah Chandler. My contribution of the kavvanah came a year later in 2010. The text presented here was built upon that ceremony and was presented first at the Hazon Detroit Jewish Food Festival in 2016. . . . Contributor(s):Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez writes, “Rav Avi spoke to us a few times as he was working through [composing] this [vidui] and I am truly moved by it. Let us not only remember and confess our wrong doings, but also what we did right this year.” . . . Contributor(s):A complementary (positive vidui) to supplement the harsh communal and personal vidu’im (confessions) being offered during the Zman Teshuvah. . . . Contributor(s):After struggling with the requests in Aneinu, read during Seliḥot, I composed a list of requests and questions for this upcoming Shmitah year. . . . Contributor(s):A prayer of forgiveness to convey to one’s inner and vulnerable self during the period of sometimes unrelenting and harsh introspection prior to the blessing for rain. . . . Contributor(s):As the month of Elul wanes, we are preparing. We prepare for the new moon, we prepare for Rosh Hashanah, and we prepare for the zombie invasion. I have it on good authority, as do you, that the onslaught is imminent. The alarm blares every morning — a shofar blast and a warning… . . . מִי שֶׁעָנָה…הוּא יַעֲנֵֽנוּ | Mi She’anah… Hu Ya’anenu — A Seliḥah for Yom Kippur (egal adaptation by Lisa Exler and Rabbi Julia Andelman, 2004) Contributor(s):This egalitarian adaptation of the Me she’Ana seliḥah for the season of Teshuvah was made by Julia Andelman and Lisa Exler in September 2004. . . . Contributor(s):“The Open Door of the Heart” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), pp. 43-44, from where this prayer was transcribed. . . . Contributor(s):This undated “Atonement Prayer” by the Hon. Lily H. Montagu (1873-1963) from the archives of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, was published in, Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters, and Prayers (ed. Ellen M. Umansky, 1985), p. 352. . . . 📖 סְלִיחוֹת לַיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן | Seliḥot for the First Day, translated and annotated by Philip Birnbaum (1952) Contributor(s):A seder seliḥot (a penitential prayer service) for the first day of seliḥot, in the week prior to Rosh ha-Shanah, as prepared and translated by Philip Paltiel Birnbaum and published by Hebrew Publishing Co., in 1952. . . . Contributor(s):This “Prayer for Service” on Shabbat Teshuvah (27 September 1941) by the Hon. Lily H. Montagu (1873-1963) from the archives of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, was published in, Lily Montagu: Sermons, Addresses, Letters, and Prayers (ed. Ellen M. Umansky, 1985), pp. 350-351. . . . Contributor(s):The prayer-poem ““Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin”” by Miriam del Banco (1858-1931) was included in her posthumously published anthology, Poetry and Prose (1932), p. 94-95. . . . Contributor(s):Basil L.Q. Henriques’s prayer “For reconciliation” was first published in The Fratres Book of Prayer for the Oxford and St. George’s Synagogue Jewish Lads Club in 1916, and later reprinted in the Prayer Book of the St. George’s Settlement Synagogue (1929), “Special Prayers” section, page 99. . . . Contributor(s):Basil L.Q. Henriques’s prayer “For forgiveness” was first published in The Fratres Book of Prayer for the Oxford and St. George’s Synagogue Jewish Lads Club in 1916, and later reprinted in the Prayer Book of the St. George’s Settlement Synagogue (1929), “Special Prayers” section, pages 99-100. . . . Oh! How Shall Man With God Contend (Job 9), a hymn on “Obedience to the Will of God” by Penina Moïse (Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim 1842) Contributor(s):“Oh! how shall man with God contend (Job Chap. IX),” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Obedience to the Will of God” as Hymn 28 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 31-32. . . . Rebuke Me Not Nor Chasten Me (Psalms 38), a hymn on “Confidence in God” by Penina Moïse (Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim 1842) Contributor(s):“Rebuke me not, nor chasten me (Psalm XXXVIII),” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Confidence in God” as Hymn 29 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 32-33. . . . Contributor(s):“How long will man in pleasure merged,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Piety” as Hymn 25 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 28-29. . . . Contributor(s):“Man of the world! wilt thou not pause,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Piety” as Hymn 26 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 29-30. . . . Though Sorrows May be Multiplied, a hymn on “Obedience to the Will of God” by Penina Moïse (Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim 1842) Contributor(s):“Though sorrows may be multiplied,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Obedience to the Will of God” as Hymn 27 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 30-31. . . . Contributor(s):“Oh! turn at meek devotion’s call,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Piety” as Hymn 24 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), p. 28. . . . Contributor(s):“Self-Examination for Every Night” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings” (1852), pp. 165-168. . . . Contributor(s):“Self-examination” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Sabbath Thoughts and Sacred Communings (1853), pp. 97-98. . . . Contributor(s):“Prayer for submission to the divine Will” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings,” pp. 176-177. . . . Contributor(s):“Prayer for grace” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings,” pp. 229-230. . . . Gebete, die man an verschiedenen Stellen sagt, wenn man um den Begräbnißplatz herumgeht | Prayers said at various points as you circumambulate the burial ground, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1835) Contributor(s):“Gebete, die man an verschiedenen Stellen sagt, wenn man um den Begräbnißplatz herumgeht” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1835 edition as teḥinah №103 on pp. 202-207. . . . Gebet am Tage vor Neujahr und am Tage vor dem Versöhnungsfeste | Prayer on the day before Rosh haShanah and on the day before Yom Kippur, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1835) Contributor(s):“Gebet am Tage vor Neujahr und am Tage vor dem Versöhnungsfeste” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1835 edition as teḥinah №133 on pp. 249-252. . . . Gebet wenn der Vorbeter unssane Tokef vorträgt (וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף) | Prayer when the prayer leader recites Untaneh Toqef, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1833) Contributor(s):“Gebet wenn der Vorbeter unssane Tokef vorträgt” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaicher Religion. It first appears in the 1833 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaicher Religion on pp. 47-48. In the 1835 edition, it appears as teḥinah №34 on pp. 51-52. In the 1842 edition, it appears as teḥinah №36 on pp. 54-55. . . . Contributor(s):“סֵדֶר תַּשְׁלִיךְ (Seder Tashlikh)” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1833 edition on pp. 145-146. In the 1835 edition it is arranged as teḥinah №84 on p. 157. . . . Im Monat Ellul wenn der Schofer geblasen wird | In the month of Elul when the shofar is blown, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829) Contributor(s):“Im Monat Ellul wenn der Schofer geblasen wird” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaicher Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaicher Religion as teḥinah №30 on pp. 39-40. In the 1835 edition, it appears as teḥinah №30 on pp. 45-47. In the 1842 edition, it appears as teḥinah №32 on pp. 48-50. . . . Am Neujahrstage vor dem Schofer blasen | On Rosh haShanah, before the Shofar is blown, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829) Contributor(s):“Am Neujahrstage vor dem Schofer blasen” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaicher Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaicher Religion as teḥinah №34 on pp. 43-44. In the 1835 edition, it appears as teḥinah №32 on pp. 48-49. In the 1842 edition, it appears as teḥinah №34 on pp. 51-52. . . . Am Neujahrstage, Zweites Gebet vor dem Schofer blasen | On Rosh haShanah, a second prayer before the Shofar is blown, a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829) Contributor(s):“Zweites Gebet vor dem Schofar blasen” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaicher Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaicher Religion as teḥinah №36 on pp. 44-46. In the 1835 edition, it appears as teḥinah №33 on pp. 49-51. In the 1842 edition, it appears as teḥinah №35 on pp. 52-54. . . . Am Tage vor Neujahr auf dem Begräbnißplatz [№2] | On the day before the New Year in the burial ground [№2], a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829) Contributor(s):“Desselben Inhalts [Am Tage vor Neujahr auf dem Begräbnißplatz №2]” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1835 edition as teḥinah №105 on pp. 208-209. . . . Am Tage vor Neujahr auf dem Begräbnißplatz [№1] | On the day before the New Year in the burial ground [№1], a teḥinah by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829) Contributor(s):“Am Tage vor Neujahr auf dem Begräbnißplatz” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1835 edition as teḥinah №104 on pp. 207-208. . . . תחנה אמהות מן ראש חודש אלול | Prayer for the New Moon of Elul, from the Tkhine of the Matriarchs by Seril Rappaport (ca. 18th c.) Contributor(s):“Tkhine of the Matriarchs for the New Moon of Elul” by Rebbetsin Seril Rappaport is a faithful transcription of her tkhine published in Vilna, 1874, as re-published in The Merit of Our Mothers בזכות אמהות A Bilingual Anthology of Jewish Women’s Prayers, compiled by Rabbi Tracy Guren Klirs, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1992. shgiyot mi yavin, ministarot nakeni. . . . תחנה אמהות | Prayer for the Blowing of the Shofar, from the Tkhine of the Matriarchs by Seril Rappaport (ca. 18th century) Contributor(s):“Tkhine of the Matriarchs for the Blowing of the Shofar” by Rebbetsin Seril Rappaport is a faithful transcription of her tkhine included in “תחנה אמהות מן ראש חודש אלול” (Tkhine of the Matriarchs for the New Moon of Elul) published in Vilna, 1874, as re-published in The Merit of Our Mothers בזכות אמהות A Bilingual Anthology of Jewish Women’s Prayers, compiled by Rabbi Tracy Guren Klirs, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1992. shgiyot mi yavin, ministarot nakeni. . . . Contributor(s):An exhortation given by Ḥakham Ishak Nieto published before his translation of the Sliḥot, in Spanish with English translation by Isaac Pinto (1766). . . . זֶה יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן [א׳] | Zeh Yom Rishon [a], a song for Yom T’ruah by Ḥakham Zeraḥ ben Nathan of Troki (early 17th c.) Contributor(s):An early 17th century song for Yom T’ruah (Rosh haShanah) by Karaite Ḥakham, Zeraḥ ben Nathan of Troki. . . . זֶה יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן [ב׳] | Zeh Yom Rishon [b], a song for Yom T’ruah by Ḥakham Zeraḥ ben Nathan of Troki (early 17th c.) Contributor(s):An early 17th century song for Yom T’ruah (Rosh haShanah) by Karaite Ḥakham, Zeraḥ ben Nathan of Troki. . . . Contributor(s):A pizmon in the nusaḥ hasepharadim recited at Seliḥot during the monh of Elul and Yom Kippur. . . . Contributor(s):Psalms №27 has a very tight thematic structure, with a set of word plays around שיר–מישור–שוררי (straight lines of verse, path, those that line up against me/opponents), צור–צרי–צרי (Rock, those that trap/trouble me, dire straits), and the consonance between צוררי–שוררי. We also get the heavy parallelism and light chiastic structure in the framing, repeated call backs to images and phrases (My Salvation, raising, no fear, God’s Face, being forsook), word play (parents forsake so God is my הורני – the one who instructs me as a parent). There is also the contrasting image of God’s prolonged angry snort vs the shallow exhalation of violence of the lying witnesses. Note too that this is an early example of “words as violence”. The penultimate verse calls back to verse 4, looking upon God’s delightful goodness, and life or the land of the living is compared to the Temple. There is also a fascinating external reference to Moses (and Elijah) being hidden in the cleft of the Rock and from there seeking to see God’s Face. Finally, there is a rather intriguing question about what it means for God to keep us on the straight and narrow path for the sake of those that line up against us. Is God acting on their behalf? Thru them? Is this the classic “antisemitism aids in Jewish unity” argument from three millennia ago or do we walk this path in order to actually save even our opponents in some way. Perhaps צוררי–שוררי is about opponents vs adversaries and praying God will draw a fine line between them from which we will not cross over or stray into. . . . Contributor(s):This is an interpretive translation of Psalms 27 first published by Zackary Sholem Berger on medium. . . . Contributor(s):A translation of Psalms 27 for the season of repentance, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. . . . |
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