Prayer for Rosh haShanah, by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=46617
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2022-09-07
Last Updated: 2025-03-29
Categories: Rosh haShanah (l’Maaseh Bereshit)
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers for the New Year
Excerpt: "New Years Prayer" by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 66, from where this prayer was transcribed. . . .
Content:
| Contribute a translation |
Source (English) |
|
|
O Lord, our God:
At this time of the New Year,
we “remember the days of old,
we consider the years of many generations.” (Deuteronomy 32:7)
Thou art timeless and changeless.
The years pass before Thee
in rapid succession;
sunrise and sunset,
and they are gone.
|
|
|
But to us they are the measure of our lives,
reminders of our impermanence,
and goads to build our destinies
on the Rock of the universe,
on Thee.
|
|
|
At the approach of the New Year,
we ask Thee to bless us, O Lord,
with health,
with goodness,
with understanding.
Help us to achieve comprehension
of our purpose in life:
to be Thy messengers on earth.
Help us to be bearers of love
in a world that cries for love.
|
|
|
May our labors
be labors of aspiration
and accomplishment.
May our ideals
be Thy Torah’s standards
of the dignity of every human being,
of justice,
of right,
of mercy.
Give us zeal
to make our days of worth,
that we may bring goodness into being
in our homes
and in our communities,
“so that the hearts of Thy children
may be gladdened
by the work of our hands.”
|
|
|
We pray
that this New Year will be for us,
for all mankind,
a year of peace and fulfillment
among men and nations.
|
|
|
Amen.
|
“New Year’s Prayer” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 66, from where this prayer was transcribed.
Source(s)
Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
Co-authors:
-
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
-
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
Featured Image:
Title: Pomegranate fruit – whole and piece with arils
Caption: Pomegranate fruit - whole and piece with arils (credit: Ivar Leidus, license: CC BY-SA)
