בִּרְכָּת אַהֲבַה | Ahavat Olam, for Shaḥarit, translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=21403

Date: 2018-08-28

Last Updated: 2025-02-05

Categories: Birkat Ahavah

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., blessings prior to the shema, devotional interpretation, English Translation, interpretive translation, אהבת עולם ahavat olam

Excerpt: Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of "Ahavat Olam" in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתָּֽנוּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ חֶמְלָה גְדוֹלָה וִיתֵרָה חָמַֽלְתָּ עָלֵֽינוּ:	From ever You have loved us into life. Yah — our God, You nourished us with kindness And abundance.
אָבִֽינוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ בַּעֲבוּר שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל     וּבַעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ שֶׁבָּטְחוּ בְךָ וַתְּלַמְּדֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם   כֵּן תְּחָנֵּֽנוּ וּתְלַמְּדֵֽנוּ:	Holy One! For the sake of Your plan, For Your honor, And because we know That our parents trusted You, And You, in turn, taught them How to live life, So as to be serving Your purpose, We ask You to share with us In the same way.
אָבִֽינוּ אָב הָרַחֲמָן הַמְרַחֵם רַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ בִּינָה לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל לִשְׁמֹֽעַ לִלְמוֹד וּלְלַמֵּד לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ בְּאַהֲבָה:	Our God, kind Parent, We live in the embrace Of Your caring. Make ours an understanding heart, To become aware And be careful and effective In this way, to make real What You speak to us in Torah, And with so much love.
וְהָאֵר עֵינֵֽינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ וְדַבֵּק לִבֵּֽנוּ בְּמִצְוֺתֶֽיךָ וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵֽנוּ	When we study Torah, May we see clearly What is meant for us to know. When we do Mitzvot, May all our feelings Sit harmonious in our heart.
לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ,	Focus all our hearts’ longing To that moment, When we stand in Your Presence, In both awe and adoration.
לְמַֽעַן לֹא נֵבוֹשׁ וְלֹא נִכָּלֵם וְלֹא נִכָּשֵׁל לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד,	May we never have to be Apologetic for our love for You.
כִּי בְשֵׁם קָדְשְׁךָ הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא בָּטָֽחְנוּ נָגִֽילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ:	Trusting You, We are happy to see Your beneficent plan unfolding.
וְרַחֲמֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֶלֹהֵֽינוּ וַחֲסָדֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים אַל יַעַזְבֽוּנוּ נֶֽצַח סֶֽלָה וָעֶד:	May Your Kindness and compassion, Be available to us.
מַהֵר וְהָבֵא עָלֵֽינוּ בְּרָכָה וְשָׁלוֹם מְהֵרָה מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת כָּל הָאָֽרֶץ וּשְׁבוֹר עוֹל הַגּוֹיִם מֵעַל צַוָּארֵֽנוּ וְתוֹלִיכֵֽנוּ מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵֽנוּ:	Please hurry. Bring blessing and peace to us. Gather us, so we not be scattered All over the world. Lift the hold of estrangement From us. Lead us to live in this world, So that we feel at home in it.
כִּי אֵל פּוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת אָֽתָּה וּבָֽנוּ בָחַֽרְתָּ מִכָּל עַם וְלָשׁוֹן	You can do this for us. You have assigned us To do our special work in life
וְקֵרַבְתָּֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל סֶֽלָה בֶּאֱמֶת בְּאַהֲבָה לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ וּלְיַחֶדְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה וּלְאַהֲבָה אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ:	You brought us close to You. We are grateful. We hold You special. And are filled with love for You
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַבּוֹחֵר בְּעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה:	Barukh attah Yah Who relates to us in Love.
אָמֵן	Amen

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Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of “Ahavat Olam” for Shaḥarit in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). I have done my best to set Reb Zalman’s interpretive translation and devotional interpretation side-by-side with the Hebrew liturgy it was derived from. –Aharon N. Varady

Source(s)

 

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Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)
  Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi-translation
• 
  Name: Unknown Author(s)
  Bio: Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown

Featured Image:

Title: 15364077728_f87e5d36b5_z
Caption: The work before us is included in the collection of Micrography of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and on their website they explain that it was created in 1824 by Baruch Ben Shmaria from Brisk, Lithuania or from Hamburg, for Aaron, son of Abraham, and for his wife, Reina-daughter of Joseph Kobrin, whose names, as well as the name of Baruch son of Shmaria, surround the three flowers that appear in the central circle, and the date appears in the chronogram, the numerical value of the words Ahavat Olam (Eternal Love).