Although the Vine Its Fruit Deny, a hymn by Abraham Moïse (Reformed Society of Israel ca. 1826)

Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license

Date: 2021-10-15

Last Updated: 2024-12-17

Categories: Tishah b'Av

Tags: 19th century C.E., 56th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, hymns, South Carolina

Content:

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Although the vine its fruit deny, The budding fig-tree droop and die, No oil the olive yield; Yet will I ever trust in God, Yea, bend rejoicing to his rod, Still by his mercy heal’d.
	Though fields, in verdure late array’d, By whirlwinds desolate be laid, Or parch’d by scorching beam; Still in the Lord shall be my trust, My joy; for, though his frown be just, His mercy is supreme.
	Though from the fold the flock decay, Though herds lie famish’d o’er the lea, And round the empty stall; My soul above the wreck shall rise, Its better joys are in the skies, Where God is all in all.
	In God, my strength, howe’er distrest, Still shall I hope, and calmly rest, Nay, triumph in his love; My ling’ring soul, my tardy feet, Free as the hind he makes and fleet, To speed my course above.

The hymn “Although the vine its fruit deny” by Abraham Moïse (ca.1799-1869), is presented as Hymn 1 in The Sabbath service and miscellaneous prayers, adopted by the Reformed society of Israelites, founded in Charleston, S.C., November 21, 1825 (1830), p. 55. The attribution to Abraham Moïse is based on handwritten annotation found in a copy of the prayerbook, a photostat copy of which is in the American Jewish Archives. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

Contributor: Abraham Moïse

Co-authors:

Name: Abraham Moïse
Bio: Abraham Moïse (1799-1869), the brother of Penina Moïse, was a lawyer in Charleston, South Carolina born to the prominent family of his parents Abraham Moïse (c. 1736–1809) originally from Strasbourg in Alsace, France, and Sarah from the Jewish community on St. Eustace.. Along with Isaac Harby and David Nunes Carvalho, he helped in leading the Reformed Society of Israelites.
Website: https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/10923-moise
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/abraham-moise

Name: Reformed Society of Israelites
Bio: The Reformed Society of Israelites (1824-1833) was a group of forty-seven congregants of Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, Charleston, South Carolina, who gathered in late 1824 to petition the congregation to modify the service of prayers with an adapted liturgy emphasizing English translations, original hymns, and other modifications. Among other reforms, the group called for shorter services and sermons conducted in English that would relate the weekly parashah to everyday life. Prominent leaders in the group were Isaac Harby (1788–1828), Abraham Moïse (1799-1869), and David Nunes Carvalho (1784-1860). After Harby's death in 1828, the group published a prayerbook (later reprinted by Barnett Elzas/Bloch in 1916). In 1833, the group dissolved but in rejoining Beth Elohim they also managed to succeed in their original mission in putting the congregation on a firm Reform movement trajectory.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/reformed-society-of-israelites

Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
Website: https://aharon.varady.net
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription

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