תְּפִלָּה לִשְׁלוֹם הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה | Prayer for the Wellbeing of the Government of the USSR, by Rabbi Solomon Shleifer (Choral Synagogue, Moscow 1956)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=40134

Date: 2021-10-27

Last Updated: 2025-02-18

Categories: Government & Country, 🇷🇺 Russia

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., Soviet Jewry, Soviet Union (USSR/CCCP)

Excerpt: The prayer for peace and prayer for the government of the Choral Synagogue in Moscow in 1956. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
תְּפִלָּה בְּעַד הַשָּׁלוֹם	Prayer for the sake of Peace
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם! בָּרֵךְ מֶמְשֶׁלֶת סססר מָגֵן הַשָּׁלוֹם בְּכׇל הָעוֹלָם וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן!	Our Father in Heaven! Bless the government of the USSR shield of Peace over all the world and let us say, Amen!
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ! חַזֵּק מְגִינֵי הַשָּׁלוֹם בְּכׇל הָעוֹלָם, בִּזְכוּתָא דְּאַהֲרֹן כַּהֲנָא קַדִּישָׁא אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן!	Our Father, our King! Strengthen the shield of peace over all the world in the merit of the holy Kohen, Aharon who loves peace and pursues peace and grant peace to the Land and let us say, Amen!
אַדִּיר בַּמָּרוֹם, שׁוֹכֵן בִּגְבוּרָה אַתָּה שָׁלוֹם וְשִׁמְךָ שָׁלוֹם! יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתָּשִׂים עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כׇּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ חַיִּים וּבְרָכָה לְמִשְׁמֶרֶת שָׁלוֹם! וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן!	Majestic one on high, who dwells in power You are Peace and your name is Shalom (peace). May it be your will that you bestow on us[1] Cf. Berakhot 55b  and on your entire world life and blessing to preserve peace! And let us say, Amen!
תְּפִלָּה לִשְׁלוֹם הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה	Prayer for the well-being of the government
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, הַנּוֹתֵן בַּיָּם דֶּרֶךְ וּבְמַיִם עַזִּים נְתִיבָה,	May the One who blessed our ancestors Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaaqov, that makes a way in the sea[2] i.e., the Sea of Reeds.   and a path in the mighty waters[3] i.e., the Jordan River.
הוּא יְבָרֵךְ וְיִשְׁמוֹר וְיִנְצוֹר וְיַעֲזוֹר וִירוֹמֵם וִיגַדֵּל וִינַשֵּׂא לְמַעֲלָה אֶת מֶמְשֶׁלֶת סססר	may he bless, guard, protect, and help exalt, magnify, and highly aggrandize the government of the USSR
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יְחַיֶּהָ וִיִשְׁמֹרֶהָ וּמִכׇּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וְיָגוֹן וְנֵזֶק יַצִילֶהָ	May the blessed Holy one preserve her in life and from every trouble and distress sorrow and hurt, deliver her
וְיַפִּיל שׂוֹנְאֶיהָ לְפָנֶיהָ וּבְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּפְנֶה תַצְלִיחַ. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן!	Make her enemies fall before her and in whatsoever she undertakes may she prosper And let us say, Amen.

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The siddur that this prayer for the government is found in, Siddur haShalom (1956) was published as a trade-off between the government and Solomon Schleifer, rabbi of the Choral Synagogue in Moscow (the largest synagogue in Moscow). Rabbi Schleifer supported the state’s anti-Israel Soviet declarations after the 1956 Sinai war and in return the Soviets allowed him to print the siddur. A second edition appeared in 1968 apparently a similar result of the 1967 Israeli war. (With gratitude to Eli Amsel for providing this context.)

Source(s)

Siddur Hashalom – Prayer for the USSR (Solomon Schleifer 1956) – p.230

Siddur Hashalom – Prayer for the USSR (Solomon Schleifer 1956) – p.231

 

Notes

Notes

1	Cf. Berakhot 55b
2	i.e., the Sea of Reeds.
3	i.e., the Jordan River.

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Solomon Schleifer
  Bio: Shloime Mikhelevich (Solomon Mikhailovich; December 23, 1889-1957) born in Moscow, served as rabbi of the Choral Synagogue, the largest synagogue in Moscow, under the Soviet Union (1943-1957) after serving as its secretary and bookkeeper. He is best known for sustaining a synagogue in Moscow during the worst years of Stalinist repression against Jews. As a government appointee, he demonstrated loyalty to Stalin, and denied that there was anti-semitism in the USSR. (The Choral Synagogue's last rabbi, Shmarya Yehuda Leib Medalia was arrested and executed for alleged disloyalty in 1938. At the time, the synagogue was suspected of being a meeting place for Zionists, and was constantly under NKVD surveillance. A year before his appointment, Rabbi Shmuel Leib Levin was appointed. Due to his Chabad affiliation, he was viewed as too extreme, and was replaced with Shleifer.) Rabbi Shleifer died in 1957 while teaching a Torah class.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Shleifer
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/solomon-shleifer
• 
  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: Moscow Choral Synagogue (Charles Fredd CC BY-NC-SA
Caption: Moscow Choral Synagogue (Charles Fredd CC BY-NC-SA