Prayer — On Seeking for God, by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=46575
open_content_license: Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication Date: 2022-09-05
Last Updated: 2025-02-18
Categories: Purim Qatan, Davvening, 🤦︎ Taḥanun (Nefilat Apayim)
Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, אנה אמצאך ana emtsaeka
Excerpt: "Prayer — On Seeking for God" by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 22, from where this prayer was transcribed. . . .
Content:
| Contribute a translation |
Source (English) |
|
|
Our Father,
sometimes it seems to us
as though Thou art far away,
far beyond the reaching of our mind or heart,
as though neither prayer nor wishing
could ever reach Thee even faintly.
Yet we know that Thou art ever with us,
and it is only our preoccupations with ourselves
that hobble and diminish us
and keep us distant from Thee.
|
|
|
Hast Thou not said:
“If with all your hearts you truly seek Me,
ye shall ever surely find Me.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
Indeed, Thou art more willing to be found
than we are to seek.
|
|
|
Help us to become aware
that Thy spirit and inspiration
are always near.
Help us to realize
that Thou desirest the good of man
and not his evil,
that every soul is to Thee
a wondrous creation,
everyone of us
a dear, beloved child of Thine;
that if we will only learn to turn to Thee,
we will find answer in Thy zeal and mighty acts.
|
|
|
Like children striving
to learn their lessons
to be readied for mature life,
so may we strive to learn
to know Thee and Thy nearness
so that we may make ourselves capable
of the spiritual life of Thy world.
|
“Prayer — On Seeking for God” by Rabbi Morrison David Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 22, 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: 1103px-Pavel_Tchelitchew_Hide-and-Seek_Derby,_Vermont_and_New_York,_June_1940_-_June_1942
Caption: "Hide-and-Seek Derby," by Pavel Tchelitchew, Vermont and New York, June 1940 - June 1942
