A Weekday Tefillah from Babylonia

5th–13th Century

O God, open my lips that my mouth may utter Your praises! (Psalm 51:17)

1. Praised be You, Adonai,

our God and God of our ancestors—

God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob [see Exodus 3:15]—

great, mighty, and awesome God [see Deuteronomy 10:17; Nehemiah 9:32],

God Most High [see Genesis 14:19],

who bestows acts of loving-kindness, creator of all,

who remembers the righteous deeds of the ancestors

and brings redemption to their descendants for His name’s sake in love.

King, Savior, and Shield [see Genesis 15:1].

Praised are You, Adonai, shield of Abraham.

2. You are eternally mighty, Adonai!

You revive the dead, are mighty to save.

[You cause the wind to blow and the rain to fall/You cause the dew to fall.¹]

Graciously You sustain the living,

in Your abundant mercy You revive the dead.

You support the fallen and heal the sick,

free the captive, and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust.

Who is like You, Almighty One, and who can compare to You?

You cause death and bring to life,

causing salvation to sprout.

You are faithful to revive the dead.

Praised are You, Adonai, reviver of the dead.

3. You are holy and Your name is holy

and holy beings praise You every day. Selah!

Praised are You, Adonai, the holy God.

4. You graciously bestow understanding upon mankind

and teach discernment to humanity.

Graciously bestow upon us understanding,

discernment, and insight.

Praised are You, Adonai, gracious bestower of under- standing.

5. Turn us back, our Father, to Your Torah,

and bring us near, our King, to Your service.

[And cause us to return in perfect repentance to You.]

Praised are You, Adonai, desirous of repentance.

6. Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned.

Pardon us, our King, for we have transgressed.

[Erase and blot out our transgressions from before Your eyes,

for Your mercies are abundant.]

[For You are good and forgiving.]

Praised be You, Adonai, gracious one and abounding in forgiveness.

7. Behold our afflictions, defend our cause,

and redeem us speedily for Your name’s sake [see Psalm 119:153–154; Jeremiah 50:34],

for You are a mighty redeemer.

Praised are You, Adonai, Redeemer of Israel.

8. Heal us, Adonai, and we shall be healed.

Save us and we shall be saved,

[for You are our glory] [see Jeremiah 17:14].

And bring about a complete healing for all our wounds,

for You are a merciful healing God.

Praised are You, Adonai, healer of the stricken among His people Israel.

9. Bless for us, Adonai our God, this year with all kinds of produce for good and for blessing,

[in summer:]

and bless our year with dew of benevolence, blessing, and graciousness,

and may its outcome be life and satiety and well-being,

[in winter:]

and grant dew and rainfall upon the surface of the earth,

and satisfy the whole world with Your good blessings,

and drench the surface of the earth with Your abundant gifts,

and protect and save this growing season from all kinds of destruction and catastrophe.

Have mercy and compassion on its produce,

and may its outcome be satiety and well-being and blessing,

as in the best years past.

For You are a good and benevolent God.

Praised be You, Adonai, who blesses the years.

10. Sound a blast on the great shofar for our freedom [see Isaiah 27:13],

and raise a banner for the ingathering of our exiles [see Isaiah 11:12],

and gather us in together from the four corners of the earth [to our land].

Praised be You, Adonai, gatherer of the dispersed of Your people Israel.

11. Restore our judges as of old

and our leaders as in days of yore [see Isaiah 1:26],

and rule over us, You alone, in righteousness and justice.

Praised be You, Adonai, lover of justice.

12. May there be no hope for the apostates,

and speedily uproot and destroy [and subdue] the kingdom of arrogance in our own day.

And may the Nazarenes² and the sectarians perish in an instant.

And may all the enemies of Your people and their persecutors quickly be wiped out,

[and break the yoke of the gentiles off our necks].

Praised be You, Adonai, destroyer of enemies and subduer of the arrogant.

13. Show abundant compassion to the righteous, to the pious,

[to the remnant of Your people the household of Israel, to the remainder of their scholars,] and to the righteous converts of Adonai our God,

and give a good reward to all those who faithfully trust in Your name,

and grant that our portion may be with them,

and may we never be ashamed, [for we have put our trust in Your great name].

Praised be You, Adonai, support and stay of the righteous.

14. Have compassion, Adonai our God, [upon us,]

upon Israel Your people,

and upon Jerusalem Your city, [and upon Your sanctuary, and Your holy place, and Your dwelling place,]

and upon Zion, the abode of Your presence,

[and dwell in it (again) as You have promised,]

and rebuild Jerusalem as an everlasting structure [speedily in our days].

Praised be You, Adonai, builder of Jerusalem.

15. Speedily cause the shoot of David [Your servant] to flower,

and raise up his horn with Your salvation

[for we have hoped for Your salvation every day].

Praised be You, Adonai, who makes the horn of salvation sprout.

16. Hear our voices, Adonai our God.

Have compassion upon us,

and accept our prayers with grace and favor.

[and hear our cries as You have heard the cries of our ancestors,]

for You are a God who hearkens to our prayers and supplications.

[And do not turn us away empty-handed,

for You are a Father full of compassion.]

Praised be You, Adonai, who hearkens to prayer [see Psalm 65:3].

17. Find favor, Adonai our God, with Your people Israel and with their prayers,

and restore the Temple service to the altar of Your house,

and speedily accept with love and favor the burnt offerings of Israel and their prayers.

And may the worship of Your people Israel always find favor.

And may our eyes behold Your compassionate return to Zion.

Praised be You, Adonai, who returns His presence to Zion.

18. We give You thanks,

You, who are our God and God of our fathers forever,

for our lives that are entrusted into Your hands,

and for our souls that are placed in Your charge,

and for Your miracles daily with us,

and Your wonders and acts of benevolence at all times, night and day.

[O Good One, whose mercies never fail!

O Compassionate One, whose gracious acts never cease!

We have always put our trust in You.]

For all of these things may Your name be blessed and exalted, O our King, for all time.

May all living things thank You eternally

[O God to whom praise is due].

Praised be You, Adonai,

the Good One is Your name, and to You our thanks are due.

19. Bestow peace [see Numbers 6:22], goodness, and blessing,

grace, loving-kindness, and compassion

upon us and upon Israel Your people,

and bless us all together with the light of Your countenance,

for from the light of Your countenance You have given us, Adonai our God,

instruction [Torah] and life,

love and grace,

justice and compassion,

blessing and peace.

And it is good in Your sight to bless Your people Israel at all times.

[And grant peace to the world.]

Praised be You, Adonai, who blesses Your people Israel with peace.

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You,

Adonai, my rock and my redeemer (Psalm 19:15).

Translated by Richard S. Sarason.

Notes

Words in brackets do not appear in all manuscripts.

[The former phrase is said in the winter months and the latter in the summer months.—Trans.]

[The term noṣrim in later literature refers to Christians, but here it likely refers to Jewish Christians, since this malediction is directed against Jewish sectarians (minim).—Trans.]

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

A Weekday Tefillah from Babylonia

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