Thou Who Art Spirit, by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=46601
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2022-09-06
Last Updated: 2025-03-27
Categories: Repenting, Resetting, and Reconciliation
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, סליחות səliḥot
Excerpt: "Thou Who Art Spirit" by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 54, from where this prayer was transcribed. . . .
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Source (English) |
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“But if . . .
thou shalt seek the Lord Thy God,
thou shall find Him,
if thou seek Him with all thy heart
and with all thy soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:27)
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O Lord:
Thou Who art spirit knowest
that though we yearn upwards,
yet do we often fail to lift up
more than our voices;
our thoughts and our emotions
remain too tightly concerned
only with ourselves.
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In truth, we lament
the materialism of our desires,
the prayerlessness of our lives,
the lack of aspiration,
the want of Thee in our souls.
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Forgive us
that our resolves to lead a higher life
have so readily been broken.
Forgive us
that we have so readily forgiven ourselves.
Forgive us
that we do not even know how to repent.
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Teach us,
fill us with the overwhelming realization
that Thou art light
and goodness
and love,
and that Thou art no farther
than the pulse of our blood,
the impulse of our mind,
the hope of our spirit.
That if only we tear away
the marks of selfishness and pride,
that in our humility
we will find Thy glory.
No one stands between Thee and me —
but I.
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O Lord,
lead us out of the twilight in our souls
into Thy light,
that we may be children not of night
but of day;
that we may brighten our world
with the reflected light of Thy countenance
beaming through us on all mankind.
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Amen.
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“Thou Who Art Spirit” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 54, from where this prayer was transcribed.
Source(s)
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
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Name: Morrison David Bial
Bio: Born in New York in 1917, Morrison David Bial studied at Princeton Theological Seminary, served as a chaplain at Mitchell Field during World War II, and was ordained from the Jewish Institute of Religion in 1945. Rabbi Bial spoke from pulpits in the United States as well as in Dublin, Glasgow, and London. He led a number of tours to Israel, and published thirteen books, including The Rabbi’s Bible: Torah and The Rabbi’s Bible: Prophets (began in 1966, co-authored with Solomon Simon), Liberal Judaism at Home: the Practices of Modern Reform Judaism (1971), and Your Jewish Child (1978). Rabbi Bial spent over thirty years serving Temple Sinai in Summit, New Jersey, from 1953 until he became Rabbi Emeritus in 1985. From 1985–1995, Rabbi Bial joined Temple Beth Shalom in Ocala, Florida, revitalizing its interfaith movement, and served as Rabbi Emeritus until his death in 2004.
Website:
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/morrison-david-bial
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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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Title: Nautical_twilight_sunset_over_Sandy_Lake_(DSCF3005)
Caption: Nautical twilight sunset over Sandy Lake (DSCF3005) (credit: Trougnouf, license: CC BY)
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