Meditations and Prayers for Every Situation and Occasion in Life

אמרי לב Meditations And Prayers For Every Situation And Occasion In Life [(Prières D'un Cœur Israélite by Jonas Ennery (1848 אמרי לב A translation in English of] Translated and Adapted from the French by Hester Rothschild [1855] Revised and Corrected by Isaac Leeser [1866] American Stereotype Edition Philadelphia Published at 1227 Walnut Street 5626—1866. This document was transcribed by Aharon N. Varady for the Open Siddur Project, <http://opensiddur.org> using OCR and manual proofreading. All errors not present in the original publication are his own. Please contact the Open Siddur Project to contribute any corrections you might find ְשׁ ִגיאוֹת http://opensiddur.org/contact>. Shgiyot mi yavin, Ministarot Nakeni> Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct" ִמ ָי־י ִבין ; ִמ ִנּ ְס ָתּרוֹת ַנ ֵקּ ִני me" (Psalms 19:13). A public scan of the original printed work from which this transcription was derived can be found at the Internet Archive at <https://archive.org/details/meditationsandp00jewsgoog>. This transcription, derived from a creative work in the Public Domain, contains no newly created content and for this reason, also resides in the Public Domain. Just in case there is any confusion in this regard, this work is shared by the transcriber with a Creative Commons Zero (CC0), Public Domain Dedication, <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>. Prières D'un Cœur Israélite by Jonas אמרי לב To help create a new digital transcription of Ennery (1848), the French work from which Hester Rothschild's translation and adaptation derived, please create a Wikisource account and begin transcribing and proofreading here: <http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Livre:%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%99_%D7%9C %D7%91_Pri%C3%A8res_D%27un_C%C5%93ur_Isra%C3%A9lite_ %28Jonas_Ennery,_1848%29.pdf>. Preface The following pages are translated and adapted from a little volume in French, entitled “Prières d'un Cœur Israélite," published by the Société Consistoriale de Bons Havre. In its present form the work is not intended to be used in place of, but as a companion to, the Jewish ritual, to be referred to during the periods of public service when the congregation is not actually employed in prayer, or in receiving pulpit instruction; so that, combined with our sacred ceremonies, it may tend to inspire devotion, and direct the attention to holy thoughts. It is likewise designed as an aid to domestic and individual worship. We all feel the want of pouring forth the soul's emotions of joy or sorrow by communion with the Universal Father; general public forms of prayer may not always be adapted to the peculiar exigencies of every mind; the compilers of this work have therefore striven to supply in some measure this spiritual need, by meditations and prayers suited to every situation and occasion in life; and it has been the humble yet anxious endeavour of the translator to preserve the spirit of the original in its English garb. But, as the genius of the French language differs so widely from that of our own, a mere translation of phrases would render this impossible; it has often been found necessary, therefore, to arrange the same ideas in a very different order and form of language to the original, and even sometimes to remodel them altogether; thus this little volume frequently partakes of the character of an adaptation. Having ventured these remarks in apology for the deviations from the original, the translator trusts the public will receive with lenient judgment this result of the employment of some leisure hours; and if the use of these pages produce but to one member of the Hebrew family anything like the soul's satisfaction and comfort that have been derived from this “labour of love,” the translator will deem it an ample reward. H.R. LONDON, Adar 28, March 13, 5616, A.M. [1855] 1 Editor’s Preface In presenting this volume of meditations and prayers to the public, but little need be said on the propriety, we may almost say the necessity, of issuing a work of the kind to serve as a manual of domestic devotion in addition to our usual public form of service, whether of the Portuguese or German custom. Nothing, indeed, at all equal to this has ever been given to the world; for, let fault-finders say what they will, not a book of devotion ever devised contains so much that is sublime, useful, instructive, and consolatory, as does our liturgy. Still, it has always been the custom of our people to have short prayers in the languages used by them, in addition to the daily and festival services; and it is only following the good example of the great ones of former years, to place in the hands of our females especially a book which is, so to say, a mirror of the soul, containing reflections and short formulae of petitions or thanksgiving adapted to the several circumstances of our existence, to serve as a constant companion in our life’s journey, whether the incidents be of joy or of sorrow. It is erroneous to assert that Israelites are opposed to the use of prayer in the languages of the various countries. The efforts which have been made, both in ancient and modern times, to furnish special composition in tongues other than the Hebrew, and this by the most earnest and pious teachers, prove the contrary. The retention of the Hebrew, however, has quite another reason, namely, to maintain our national speech as the vehicle for public prayers and reading of the Law, in order to preserve a bond of union which, while it exists, can withstand all assaults against our religion, as it enables us, at all times, to verify any assertion made as founded on the Scriptures, by referring at once to the original text, which will uniformly refute all forced constructions, that are generally the only proof against our faith. But if the Hebrew were once banished, we should have to rely on authorised versions of the Holy Text, and thus open the door to all the evils resulting from resorting to a varying standard, which in itself is but an approximation to, not a perfect transcript of, the Divine Word. As long as our worship is, therefore, in the language of Israel, this will be studied and far better understood than others which are not the vernacular of the respective countries where we live, and will, at the same time, render the Synagogue an acceptable meeting-place for Israelites all over the world, who will listen there to a worship in which they can freely participate, as it is the same, or nearly the same, allowing for differences in Minhag, with what they have been accustomed to from infancy. It is, therefore, absolutely requisite that the knowledge of the Hebrew should be universally diffused among us, so that it may be, in truth, the language of heartfelt devotion, —not merely a lip-service without effect on the mind. While the public service, therefore, ought not to be changed, there is no reason why, for other objects, many books of devotional exercises, in all modern languages, should not be written by competent persons. It is, however, not to be denied, that this peculiar composition is one of the most difficult in the whole range of literature; for to think for others, to excite in them the feelings that agitate us, to lift them up to our own mental elevation, or to enter into the sentiments of their hearts, which we have, perhaps, never experienced, is surely not an easy thing, and requires a peculiar talent which very few can possess. It is, therefore, nowise remarkable that many who attempt to compose voluntary prayers utterly fail, and furnish thus indirectly the most convincing proof that the body of our liturgy should never be touched, as it can never be equalled or materially improved. The editor, when he commenced delivering public lectures, prefaced and concluded them with prayers of his own, in imitation of the European preachers; but latterly he has generally omitted them, being satisfied with the set forms of our books. Indeed, when one views attentively the feeble efforts of many who venture on prayer-making, he must soon come to the conclusion that they had better choose another field for their exertions, since they fail to excite devotion in their hearers, and utter words before Heaven which cannot be acceptable before Him. For it should not be forgotten, that we have only one model for entreaty and thanksgiving, 2 namely, the Holy Scriptures; and that in framing either, we should carefully adhere to the views, doctrines, hopes, and aspirations which they have furnished us, while in putting in opinions of our own we may unconsciously blaspheme instead of uttering praises. There are, it is admitted, many situations for which the Bible furnishes no example of prayer which we should offer therein. Since the close of the holy canon, new things and new historical developments have been ushered in, and given birth to new trains of thought. But in treating them as the subjects of prayer, we must, for all that, hold fast to our standard, and take heed that no ideas foreign to Judaism or unworthy to be offered to the God of Israel should find even a temporary sojourn in our devotional exercises. Besides, though events have not stood still in history, and though inventions have multiplied through ages past, no new truths have been evolved, and the simple words of the Bible are still as true as in the beginning, wherefore they present us, even now, as in past ages, with the best specimens of prayer, which alone, being revealed, can be acceptable to our Maker, the Author no less of the word than of the works of creation.

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