בִּשְּׁבִיל דֵמוֹקרָטִיָה וְצֶדֶק | For democracy and justice: additions to the Amidah to add from now through US election day (and afterward), by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=58387

Date: 2024-10-22

Last Updated: 2024-10-23

Categories: 🇺🇸 Election Day (1st Tuesday after November 1st), 🇺🇸 United States of America

Tags: 2023-2024 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., democracy, Private Amidah, United States General Election 2024, voting, weekday amidah, עמידה amidah

Excerpt: Additions to the Amidah for the sake of democracy and justice for offering now through US election day 2024. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Source (English)
	Addition to the 12th blessing of the Amidah — The blessing for for justice and compassion to prevail:
הָשִֽׁיבָה שׁוֹפְטֵֽינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה וְיוֹעֲצֵֽינוּ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה שֶׁיִהְיוּ מְלֵאִים צֶדֶק וְרַחֲמִים וְהָסֵר מִמֶּֽנּוּ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה וּמְלוֹךְ עָלֵֽינוּ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה לְבַדְּ֒ךָ בְּחֶֽסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים וְצַדְּ֒קֵֽנוּ בַּמִשְׁפָּט	Restore our judges, like they were at first, and our leaders who advise like they were at the beginning, to be full of righteousness and compassion, and remove from us anguish and sorrow, and You, YHVH, will rule over us alone in love and compassion, and may we be made righteous through doing justice.
וְתֵּן לְכָל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם הָכֹּחַ וְהַרָצוֹן לִרְדֹף צֶדֶק וּלְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם כְּאַגֻדָה אַחַת לֲעַקֹר גִזְעָנוּת וְחָמָס וּלְהַצְמִיחַ רְפוּאָה וְחַיִים טוֹבִים וְשָׁלוֹם בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ מֶֽלֶךְ אוֹהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט	Give to all the peoples of the world the strength and will to pursue justice and to seek peace as one united front, to uproot racism and violence (ḥamas) and to make healing and good living and peace flourish. Blessed be You YHVH, the ruler who loves righteousness/charity and justice.
	Addition to the 13th blessing of the Amidah — The blessing for the arrogant to be overthrown and wickedness ended:
וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים | וְלַמַּשְׁחִיתִים וְלַמְּחַבְּלִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶֽגַע תֹּאבֵד וְכָל אֹיְבֶֽיךָ וְכָל הַזֵּדִים מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵֽתוּ	And for those who inform | and for those who destroy and terrorize, may there be no hope, and may wickedness be eradicated as if in an instant. May Your enemies and the arrogant be quickly cut off.
תְעַקֵּר טִירוּנִיָא וָעָרִיצוּת וּתְשַׁבֵּר רַמַאִים וּתְמַגֵּר עֹשְׁקֵי נִדְכָּאִים תַעֲבִיר מֶמְשֶׁלֶת זָדוֹן מִן הָאָרֶץ וּתְּסַכֵּל פּוֹגְעִים בְּדֵמוֹקרָטִיָה וְתָּפֵר תַחְבּוּלוֹתם תְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ שׁוֹבֵר אוֹיְבִים וּמַכְנִֽיעַ זֵדִים	May You tear out tyranny and despotism, ruin those who cheat and deceive, upend and overthrow those who oppress the vulnerable. Make the reign of the arrogant disappear from the land, and pulverize the plans of those who attack democracy and make them foolish. Obstruct them, humble them, and bring on their downfall, soon, in our days. Blessed be You YHVH who breaks enemies and humbles the arrogant.

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These additions to the Amidah build on earlier prayers by Rabbi Seidenberg for US election day. Earlier iterations were offered as a plea that elected officials acknowledge and effectively respond to environmental crises. From 2016, Rabbi Seidenberg’s adaptations to his prayer for voting acknowledge the threat to democracy and justice expressed in the positions, policies, and plans of popular leaders and their appointed Supreme Court justices in the United States.

Source(s)

For democracy and justice – Amidah additions (David Seidenberg 2024)

 

Contributor: David Seidenberg

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: David Seidenberg
  Bio: Rabbi David Seidenberg, founder of NeoHasid.org, teaches text and music, Jewish thought and spirituality, in their own right and in relation to ecology and the environment. With smikhah (ordination) from the Jewish Theological Seminary and from Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, he has taught at over 100 synagogues, communities, retreats and conferences across North America (and a few in Europe and Israel). Rabbi Seidenberg's teaching empowers learners to become creators of Judaism through deep study and communion with texts and tradition. Areas of specialty include Kabbalah and Ḥasidut, Talmud, davenning, evolution and cosmology, sustainability, Maimonides, Buber, and more. Rabbi Seidenberg has published widely on ecology and Judaism and is the author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God's Image in the More-Than-Human World (Cambridge University Press, 2015).
  Website: https://neohasid.org
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/david-seidenberg
• 
  Name: Neohasid [dot] org
  Bio: NeoHasid [dot] org, founded October 2005, was first created by Rabbi David Seidenberg to help folks integrate ḥasidic song, learning, and nusaḥ into their davenning and communities and to explore embodied Torah. It evolved to focus on eco-Torah and to share liturgy that honors our relationship with the Earth and/or expresses gender parity.
  Website: https://neohasid.org
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/neohasid-org

Featured Image:

Title: Protest Monitor, Oregon state capitol, 7 September 2020 (Andrew Seksy, AP)
Caption: "Protest Monitor," Oregon state capitol, 7 September 2020 (Andrew Seksy, AP)