תחנון | Taḥanun, translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=10440

Date: 2015-02-25

Last Updated: 2024-10-19

Categories: 🤦︎ Taḥanun (Nefilat Apayim)

Tags: English Translation, interpretive translation, תחנונים taḥanunim

Excerpt: My God! my soul is Yours my body is Your servant, take pity on what You have created; my soul is Yours and my body is Yours, God help us for Your sake. We come to You because we want to honor Your reputation. Help us in our moral struggle for the sake of Your reputation; because You are kind and compassionate. Forgive us, for there is so much we need to be forgiven for. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם! הַנְּשָׁמָה לָךְ וְהַגּוּף פָּעֳלָךְ, חֽוּסָה עַל עֲמָלָךְ. הַנְּשָׁמָה לָךְ וְהַגּוּף שֶׁלָּךְ, יְיָ, עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ. אָתָֽאנוּ עַל שִׁמְךָ, יְיָ, עֲשֵׂה לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ. בַּעֲבוּר כְּבוֹד שִׁמְךָ, כִּי אֵל חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם שְׁמֶֽךָ. לְמַֽעַן שִׁמְךָ יְיָ, וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֹנֵֽנוּ, כִּי רַב הוּא:	My God! my soul is Yours my body is Your servant, take pity on what You have created; my soul is Yours and my body is Yours, God help us for Your sake. We come to You because we want to honor Your reputation. Help us in our moral struggle for the sake of Your reputation; because You are kind and compassionate. Forgive us, for there is so much we need to be forgiven for.
סְלַח לָֽנוּ אָבִֽינוּ, כִּי בְרוֹב אִוַּלְתֵּֽנוּ שָׁגִֽינוּ, מְחַל לָֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ, כִּי רַֽבּוּ עֲוֹנֵֽינוּ.	Pardon us our Father, our errors are so great; forgive us our Royal Master many are our mistakes
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, סְלַח וּמְחַל לַעֲוֹנוֹתֵֽינוּ. מְחֵה וְהַעֲבֵר פְּשָׁעֵֽינוּ וְחַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ מִנֶּֽגֶד עֵינֶֽיךָ, וְכֹף אֶת יִצְרֵֽנוּ לְהִשְׁתַּעְבֶּד לָךְ, וְהַכְנַע עָרְפֵּֽנוּ לָשׁוּב אֵלֶֽיךָ בֶּאֶמֶת, וְחַדֵּשׁ כִּלְיוֹתֵֽינוּ לִשְׁמוֹר פִּקֻּדֶֽיךָ; וּמוֹל אֶת לְבָבֵֽנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ:	Our God and our parents’ God, pardon our sins Erase our rebellions Let our failures not appear before You. Mold our drives to serve Your purposes; let our stubbornness be in Your service. Refresh our conscience to guard Your instructions Sensitize our hearts to love You and to respect Your reputation as Your Torah prescribes:
וּמָל יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ, וְאֶת לְבַב זַרְעֶֽךָ, לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ, בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ לְמַֽעַן חַיֶּיךָ.	“and YaH Your God will sensitize Your heart and the hearts of Your children so that your love for your God will be wholehearted, inspired, to make Your life meaningful”[1] Deuteronomy 30:6.
בָּאתִי אֵלֶֽיךָ מִתּוֹך רָצוֹן לְעָבְדְךָ. אֵין צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶר יַעֲשֶּׂה הַטּוֹב וְלֹא יֶחֱטֶא. עָזְרֵנִי נָא בְּחַיֵי הַמּוּסַר שְלִי לְתַקֵן מִידוֹתָי.	Dear God. I approach You from the desire to serve You and yet there is no Tzaddik who can do only good and not fail in it Please help me with my moral Life so that in every way my attitude will be balanced and right.
וְרֵאשִׁית־כֹּל עָזְרֵנִי לִמְחוֹל לְכָל מִי שֶׁהִכְעִיס וְהִקְנִיט אוֹתִי, אוֹ שֶׁחָטָא כְּנֶגְדִּי בֵּין בְּגוּפִי בֵּין בְּמָמוֹנִי בֵּין בִּכְבוֹדִי בֵּין בְכָל אֲשֶׁר לִי, בֵּין בְּאֹֽנֶס, בֵּין בְּרָצוֹן, בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג, בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד, בֵּין בְּדִבּוּר בֵּין בְּמַעֲשֶׂה, בֵּין בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה בֵּין בְּהִרְהוּר, בֵּין בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה בֵּין בְּגִלְגּוּל אַחֵר, לְכָל בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלֹא יֵעָנֵשׁ שׁוּם אָדָם בְּסִבָּתִי.	To begin with, help me to forgive anyone who has frustrated and upset me irregardless if they have sinned against me, my body, my possessions, my reputation, anything of mine, unintentionally, intentionally whether they schemed, or were unaware, whether it was in word or action whether is was a thought or the imagination Whether it was in this incarnation or in any other I completely forgive any God-wrestler; let no one be punished on my account.
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, תָּבֹא לְפָנֶֽיךָ תְּפִלָּתֵֽנוּ, וְאַל תִּתְעַלַּם מִתְּחִנָּתֵֽנוּ, שֶׁאֵין אָנוּ עַזֵּי פָנִים וּקְשֵׁי עֹֽרֶף, לוֹמַר לְפָנֶֽיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, צַדִּיקִים אֲנַֽחְנוּ וְלֹא חָטָֽאנוּ, אֲבָל אֲנַֽחְנוּ וַאֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ חָטָֽאנוּ.	My God and my parents’ God may our prayer come before You do not turn Your attention from our pleading we don’t want to be impudent we don’t want to be stubborn and claim that we are righteous and have not sinned Indeed our parents have sinned and we have sinned
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי, שֶׁלֹּא אֶחֱטָא עוֹד, וּמַה שֶּׁחָטָֽאתִי אֶתְוְוַדֶה לְפָנֶֽיךָ (לפרט החטא כאן) וַאֲבַקְשְךָ שֶתִּמְחוֹק בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים, אֲבָל לֹא עַל יְדֵי יִסּוּרִים וָחֳלָיִים רָעִים. יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶֽיךָ , יְיָ צוִּרי וְגֹאֲלִי. לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּֽיתִי יְיָ, קִוִּֽיתִי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ יְיָ, יְיָ לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּֽיתִי:	Help us with God’s help not to fail You again and what I hereby confess to You (insert the particular sin here) I beg You, that in Your great mercy You erase my sins but not by means of suffering and illness. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable for You, Yah, my rock and my Redeemer I place my faith in You I place my trust in You I place my hope in You

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Reb Zalman’s translation of the Taḥanun was first published on the web at the Jewish Renewal Ḥasidus blog, here. Thank you to Gabbai Seth Fishman for curating this resource.

Source(s)

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Notes[+]

Notes

1	Deuteronomy 30:6.

Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)
  Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi-translation
• 
  Name: Unknown Author(s)
  Bio: Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown

Featured Image:

Title: Head in Hands
Caption: "Caïn" by Henri Vidal, Tuileries Garden, Paris, 1896. Cain is depicted after killing his brother hiding his face in his hand. (photo credit: Alex E. Proimos, license: CC BY)