אָב הָרַחֲמִים שׁוֹכֵן מְרוֹמִים | Av haRaḥamim Shokhein Meromim, a prayer for the martyred during the First Crusade & Rhineland massacres

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=31790

open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Date: 2020-05-27

Last Updated: 2021-10-08

Categories: Shavuot, After the Aliyot, Tishah b'Av, Pogroms & Genocide

Tags: 11th century C.E., 49th century A.M., First Crusade, People's Crusade, prayers following pogroms, Rhineland Massacres

Excerpt: A prayer for those martyred in the First Crusade and Rhineland Massacres, and by extension, all subsequent pogroms up until and including the Holocaust. . . .


Content:
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)

In many congregations, this prayer is said on the Shabbat preceding Shavuot and Tishah b’Av.
אָב הָרַחֲמִים
שׁוֹכֵן מְרוֹמִים
בְּרַחֲמָיו הָעֲצוּמִים
הוּא יִפְקֹד בְּרַחֲמִים
הַחֲסִידִים וְהַיְשָׁרִים וְהַתְּמִימִים
קְהִלּוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ
שֶׁמָּסְרוּ נַפְשָׁם עַל קְדֻשַּׁת הַשֵּׁם׃
Parent of mercy
Dwelling on highly
In myriad mercy
Will take account of, in mercy,
The pious and the upright and the pure
The holy congregations
Who gave their lives sanctifying the Name.
הַנֶּאֱהָבִ֤ים וְהַנְּעִימִם֙ בְּחַיֵּיהֶ֔ם
וּבְמוֹתָ֖ם לֹ֣א נִפְרָ֑דוּ
מִנְּשָׁרִ֣ים קַ֔לּוּ מֵאֲרָי֖וֹת גָּבֵֽרוּ׃ (שמואל ב׳ א:כג)
לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן קוֹנָם וְחֵפֶץ צוּרָם׃
They were loved and adored in their lives;
And in their deaths they were not divided.
Swifter than eagles, Stronger than lions,[1] II Samuel 1:23. 
To do the will of their Maker and the wish of their Fortress.
יִזְכְּרֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְטוֹבָה עִם שְׁאָר צַדִּיקֵי עוֹלָם׃
וְיִנְקֹם לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדָיו הַשָּׁפוּךְ׃
May our God remember them for good with all the remnant of the world’s righteous.
And avenge for our eyes the innocent blood of God’s servants spilled.
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים —
הַרְנִ֤ינוּ גוֹיִם֙ עַמּ֔וֹ
כִּ֥י דַם־עֲבָדָ֖יו יִקּ֑וֹם
וְנָקָם֙ יָשִׁ֣יב לְצָרָ֔יו
וְכִפֶּ֥ר אַדְמָת֖וֹ עַמּֽוֹ׃ (דברים לב:מג)
As is written in the Teaching of Moses the man of God —
O nations, acclaim God’s people!
For the blood of God’s people God will avenge;
Turn vengeance upon God’s adversaries,
And cleanse the land [for] God’s people.[2] Deuteronomy 32:43. 
וְעַל יְדֵי עֲבָדֶיךָ הַנְּבִיאִים כָּתוּב לֵאמֹר —
וְנִקֵּ֖יתִי דָּמָ֣ם
לֹֽא־נִקֵּ֑יתִי
וַיהֹוָ֖ה שֹׁכֵ֥ן בְּצִיּֽוֹן׃ (יואל ד:כא)
And by the hands of Your servants the prophets it is written, saying —
And I will treat their blood as innocent,
that which I have not treated innocent before;
and Adonai dwells in Zion.[3] Joel 4:21. 
וּבְכִתְבֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ נֶאֱמַר —
לָ֤מָּה ׀ יֹאמְר֣וּ הַגּוֹיִם֮
אַיֵּ֢ה אֱֽלֹהֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
יִוָּדַ֣ע בַּגֹּיִ֣ים לְעֵינֵ֑ינוּ
נִ֝קְמַ֗ת דַּֽם־עֲבָדֶ֥יךָ הַשָּׁפֽוּךְ׃ (תהלים עט:י)
And in the holy writings it is said —
Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?
Let the nations know before our eyes
That You will avenge the spilled blood of Your servants.[4] Psalms 79:10. 
וְאוֹמֵר —
כִּֽי־דֹרֵ֣שׁ דָּ֭מִים אוֹתָ֣ם זָכָ֑ר
לֹֽא־שָׁ֝כַ֗ח צַעֲקַ֥ת [עניים] עֲנָוִֽים׃ (תהלים ט:יג)
And it says —
For the One who pays back bloodshed remembers them;
Does not forget the cry of the afflicted.[5] Psalms 9:13. 
וְאוֹמֵר —
יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת
מָ֥חַץ רֹ֗֝אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה׃
מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה
עַל־כֵּ֗֝ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ׃ (תהלים קי:ז)
And it says —
Judging upon the nations filling up corpses,
Smiting heads of the whole earth;
From the stream on the way drinking,
Thus holding head up high.[6] Psalms 110:6-7. 

Source(s)

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Notes

Notes
1 II Samuel 1:23.
2 Deuteronomy 32:43.
3 Joel 4:21.
4 Psalms 79:10.
5 Psalms 9:13.
6 Psalms 110:6-7.

Contributor: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
Judenhat escutcheon (Aharon Varady CC BY-SA)
Title: Judenhat escutcheon (Aharon Varady CC BY-SA)
Caption: A Judenhat escutcheon (colorized by Aharon Varady)