Prayer for the Day of Solemn Assembly (שמיני עצרת), by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=41003

Date: 2021-11-27

Last Updated: 2022-01-02

Categories: Shemini Atseret (and Simḥat Torah)

Tags: 19th century C.E., 57th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Jewish Women's Prayers, תחינות teḥinot

Excerpt: "Prayer for the Eighth Day of Tabernacles, the Day of Solemn Assembly שמיני עצרת (8th Day of Tabernacles)" by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau was first published in his תחנות בנות ישראל Devotions for the Daughters of Israel (1852), p. 39. . . .

Content:

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Eternal! Creator of the Universe, in Thy wisdom and in Thy goodness Thou hast ordained the celebration of this closing Festival at a time when the rich blessings of nature are brought home from the field of plenty. This Festival, especially devoted to joyfulness is to remind us at the same time of the overwhelming benefits, which Thou graciously conferrest upon us every day and every moment.
	Truly from the Omnipotent come all things that we have, which rejoice and quicken us. “How great and how many are thy works, O Lord, all of them hast Thou ordained in wisdom, the earth is full of Thy possessions.” (Psalms 104:24) Thy paternal and saving hand warded off all danger from our fields; whilst divine blessing and gladness, joy and delight flowed down upon us in mild streams.
	Never, O Lord, let me forget Thy goodness; let the remembrance thereof ever encourage me to benevolence and kindness towards my fellow men, so that I may cause the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphan, and the stranger in the gates, also to rejoice on the Festival days.
	I likewise beseech Thee, O Lord, that the present season of the year may serve me as a picture of my own life, and rouse within me feelings of humility and devotion. The splendour and attraction of the earth is gradually vanishing, and the whole creation appears to wrap itself in gloom and mourning. The human mind alone is conscious of its superiority above the cold and inanimate creation. The soul, a spark of Thy Divine Spirit, is above decay and perishableness; therefore, all-wise Creator, assist me that I may never neglect my higher vocation. May this weak perishable body ever remind me of my higher destination, for which my earthly existence is but a preparation.
	Fortify me, all-kind Father, that I may by virtue and uprightness, and the faithful performance of all my sacred duties render myself deserving of life eternal. Let Thy Laws be my guide, Thy precepts be my standard, and Thy instructions be my advisers, and I shall with confidence look for Thy favour and graciousness, and for our restoration to the Holy land. Amen.

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“Prayer for the Eighth Day of Tabernacles, the Day of Solemn Assembly שמיני עצרת (8th Day of Tabernacles)” by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau was first published in his תחנות בנות ישראל Devotions for the Daughters of Israel (1852), p. 39.

In his preface to Devotions, Bresslau is clear that his prayers in English were adapted from traditional teḥinot that had earlier been published in France, Germany, and Poland. If you know of a specific prayer that may have served as the basis for this one, please leave a comment or contact us.

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (editing/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
• 
  Name: Marcus Heinrich Bresslau
  Bio: Marcus Heinrich (also Mordecai Ḥayyim/Hyman/Heyman) Bresslau (ca. 1808-15 May 1864) was a Hebraist and newspaper editor. Born in Hamburg, he settled in England when young. For some time from 1834 he was Baal Ḳoreh (reader) at the Western Synagogue. He then taught Hebrew at the Westminster Jews’ Free School and went on to tutor privately. A maskil, he became involved with M. J. Raphall’s Hebrew Review and Magazine of Rabbinical Literature (1834-6). In October 1844 he was appointed editor of the relaunched Jewish Chronicle by proprietor Joseph Mitchell. Prickly and quarrelsome, he resigned in July 1848 but returned in around September. He remained until about October 1850. After Mitchell’s death in June 1854 he became proprietor (his middle name appearing as Heyman) and edited it until February 1855 when new proprietor Abraham Benisch succeeded him. Bresslau, who tried vainly to revive the Hebrew Review, wrote Hebrew poetry, produced a Hebrew grammar and a Hebrew dictionary, and translated various Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. Bresslau compiled (we think) the first compilation of teḥinot in English for women. (Much of this information via Bresslau's entry in The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History)
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Hyman_Bresslau
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/marcus-heinrich-bresslau

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Title: Prayer for the Day of Solemn Assembly (Marcus Heinrich Bresslau 1852)
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