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The Standard Prayer Book, tr. by Simeon Singer, [1915], at sacred-texts.com


p. 325

SERVICE FOR FESTIVALS.

On lighting the Festival Lamp in the Home, the following is said—

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and hast commanded us to. kindle [on Friday add: the Sabbath and] the Festival light.

On the Eve of Festivals, Afternoon Service is said as on Weekdays, see pp. 109128, but omitting "And David said," p. 123, "O Guardian of Israel," p. 124, "It is our duty" and "Kaddish," pp. 126127.

For Evening Service, see pp. 159166. Should the evening of the Festival fall on Friday, the Evening Service commences with "A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath Day," p. 156.

The following Amidah is said at the Evening, Morning and Afternoon Services of Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly and the Rejoicing of the Law.

O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the Great, mighty and revered God, the most high God, who bestowest lovingkindnesses and possessest all things; who rememberest the pious deeds of their patriarchs, and in love wilt bring a redeemer to their children's children for thy name's sake.

O King, Helper, Savior and Shield. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the Shield of Abraham.

p. 326

Thou, O Lord, art mighty for ever, thou quickenest the dead, thou art mighty to save.

From the Sabbath after the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly until the First Day of Passover say:—

Thou causest the wind to blow and the rain to fall,

Thou sustainest the living with lovingkindness, quickenest the dead with great mercy, supportest the falling, healest the sick, loosest the bound, and keepest thy faith to them that sleep in the dust. Who is like unto thee, Lord of mighty acts, and who resembleth thee, O King, who killest and quickenest, and causest salvation to spring forth?

Yea, faithful art thou to quicken the dead. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who quickenest the dead. *

Thou art holy, and thy name is holy, and holy beings praise thee daily. (Selah.) Blessed art thou, O Lord, the holy God.

When the Reader repeats the Amidah, the following is said, to "holy God," p. 327.

* Reader.—We will sanctify thy name in the world even as they sanctify, it in the highest heavens, as it is written by the hand of thy prophet:

And they called one unto the other and said,

Cong.—Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

p. 327

Reader.—Then with a noise of great rushing, mighty and strong, they make their voices heard, and, upraising themselves towards the Seraphim, they exclaim over against them, Blessed—

Cong.—Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place.

Reader.—From thy place shine forth, O our King, and reign over us, for we wait for thee. When wilt thou reign in Zion? Speedily, even in our days, do thou dwell there, and for ever. Mayest thou be magnified and sanctified in the midst of Jerusalem thy city throughout all generations and to all eternity. O let our eyes behold thy kingdom, according to the word that was spoken in the songs of thy might by David, thy righteous anointed:

Cong.—The Lord shall reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.

Reader.—Unto all generations we will declare thy greatness, and to all eternity we will proclaim thy holiness, and thy praise, O our God, shall not depart from our mouth for ever, for thou art a great and holy God and King. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the holy God.

Thou hast chosen us from all peoples; thou hast loved us and taken pleasure in us, and hast exalted us above all tongues; thou hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and brought us near unto thy service, O our King, and hast called us by thy great and holy name.

p. 328

On Saturday Night add the following:—

Thou, O Lord our God, hast made known unto us the judgments of thy righteousness; thou hast taught us to perform the statutes of thy will; thou hast given us, O Lord our God, righteous judgments, true laws, good statutes and commandments. Thou hast also caused us to inherit seasons of joy, appointed times of holiness, and feasts of free will gifts, and hast given us as an heritage the holiness of the Sabbath, the glory of the appointed time, and the celebration of the festival. Thou hast made a distinction, O Lord our God, between holy and profane, between light and darkness, between Israel and other nations, between the seventh day and the six working days; thou hast made a distinction between the holiness of the Sabbath and that of the festival, and hast hallowed the seventh day above the six working days: thou hast distinguished and sanctified thy people Israel by thy holiness.

On Sabbath add the words in brackets.

And thou hast given us in love, O Lord our God, [Sabbaths for rest,] appointed times for gladness, festivals and seasons for joy; [this Sabbath Day, and] this day of—

On Passover say:—

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the season of our Freedom;

On Pentecost:—

The Feast of Weeks, the season of the Giving of our Law;

On Tabernacles:—

The Feast of Tabernacles, the season of our Gladness;

On the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly and on the Rejoicing of the Law:—

The Eighth-day Feast of Solemn Assembly, the season of our Gladness.

[in love]; an holy convocation, as a memorial of the departure from Egypt.

p. 329

Our God and God of our fathers! May our remembrance rise and come and be accepted before thee, with the remembrance of our fathers, of Messiah the son of David thy servant, of Jerusalem thy holy city, and of all thy people the house of Israel, bringing deliverance and well-being, grace, lovingkindness and mercy, life and peace on this day of

On Passover:—

The Feast of Unleavened Bread;

On Pentecost:—

The Feast of Weeks;

On Tabernacles:—

The Feast of Tabernacles;

On the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly, and on the Rejoicing of the Law:—

The Eighth-day Feast of Solemn Assembly.

[paragraph continues] Remember us, O Lord our God, thereon for our wellbeing; be mindful of us for blessing, and save us unto life: by thy promise of salvation and mercy, spare us and be gracious unto us; have mercy upon us and save us; for our eyes are bent upon thee, because thou art a gracious and merciful God and King.

O Lord our God, bestow upon us the blessing of thy appointed times for life and peace, for joy and gladness, even as thou hast been pleased to promise that thou wouldst bless us. [Our God and God of our fathers, accept our rest.] Sanctify us by thy command with thy goodness, and gladden us with thy salvation; commandments, and grant our portion in thy Law; satisfy us purify our hearts to serve thee in truth; and let us inherit,

p. 330

[paragraph continues] O Lord our God, [in love and favor,] with joy and gladness thy holy [Sabbath and] appointed times; and may Israel, who hallow thy name, rejoice in thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who hallowest [the Sabbath and] Israel and the seasons.

Accept, O Lord our God, thy people Israel and their prayer; restore the service to the oracle of thy house; receive in love and favor both the fire offerings of Israel and their prayer; and may the service of thy people Israel be ever acceptable unto thee.

And let our eyes behold thy return in mercy to Zion. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who restorest thy divine presence unto Zion.

We give thanks unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God and the God of our fathers for ever and ever; thou art the Rock of our lives, the Shield of our salvation through every generation. We will give thanks unto thee and declare thy praise for our lives which are committed unto thy hand, and for our souls

Congregation in an undertone

We give thanks unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God and the God of our fathers, the God of all flesh, our Creator and the Creator of all things in the beginning. Blessings and thanksgivings be to thy great and holy name, because thou hast kept us in life and hast preserved us: so mayest thou continue to keep us in life and to preserve us. O gather our exiles to thy holy courts to observe thy statutes, to do thy will, and to Serve thee with a perfect heart; seeing that we give thanks unto thee. Blessed he the God to whom thanksgivings are due.

p. 331

which are in thy charge, and for thy miracles, which are daily with us, and for thy wonders and thy benefits, which are wrought at all times, evening, morn and noon. O thou who art all-good, whose mercies fail not; thou, merciful Being, whose lovingkindnesses never cease, we have ever hoped in thee.

For all these things thy name, O our King, shall be continually blessed and exalted for ever and ever.

And everything that liveth shall give thanks unto thee for ever, and shall praise thy name in truth, O God, our salvation and our help. Blessed art thou, O Lord, whose name is All-good, and unto whom it is becoming to give thanks.

At the repetition of the Amidah by the Reader the following is introduced:—

Our God and God of our fathers, bless us with the three-fold blessing of thy Law written by the hand of Moses thy servant, which was spoken by Aaron and his sons, the priests, thy holy people, as it is said, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord turn his face unto thee, and give thee peace.

At the Morning Service say:—

Grant peace, welfare, blessing, grace, lovingkindness and mercy unto us and unto all Israel, thy people. Bless us, O our Father, even all of us together, with the light of thy countenance; for by the light of thy countenance thou hast given us. O Lord our God, the

p. 332

[paragraph continues] Law of Life, lovingkindness and righteousness, blessing, mercy, life and peace; and may it be good in thy sight to bless thy people Israel at all times and in every hour with thy peace.

At the Afternoon and Evening Services say:—

Grant abundant peace unto Israel thy people for ever; for thou art the sovereign Lord of all peace; and may it be good in thy sight to bless thy people Israel at all times and in every hour with thy peace.

Blessed art thou, O Lord, who blessest thy people Israel with peace.

O my God! guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking guile; and to such as curse me let my soul be dumb, yea, let my soul be unto all as the dust. Open my heart to thy Law, and let my soul pursue thy commandments. If any design evil against me, speedily make their counsel of none effect, and frustrate their designs. Do it for the sake of thy name, do it for the sake of thy right hand, do it for the sake of thy holiness, do it for the sake of thy Law. In order that thy beloved ones may be delivered, O save with thy right hand and answer me. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before thee, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. He who maketh peace in his high places, may he make peace for us and for all Israel, and say ye, Amen.

May it be thy will, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, that the temple be speedily rebuilt in our days, and grant our portion in thy Law. And there we will serve thee with awe, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.



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