The Standard Prayer Book, tr. by Simeon Singer, [1915], at sacred-texts.com
ADDITIONAL SERVICE FOR NEW YEAR
O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise.
Blessed art thou, O Lord our God and God of out 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 the patriarchs, and in love wilt bring a redeemer to their children's children for thy name's sake.
Remember us unto life, O King, who delightest in life, and inscribe us in the book of life, for thine own sake, O living God.
O King, Helper, Savior and Shield. Blessed art. thou, O Lord, the Shield of Abraham.
Thou, O Lord, art mighty for ever, thou quickenest the dead, thou art mighty to save.
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?
Who is like unto thee, Father of mercy, who in mercy rememberest thy creatures unto life?
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.)
Now, therefore, O Lord our God, impose thine awe upon all thy works, and thy dread upon all that thou hast created, that all works may fear thee and all creatures prostrate themselves before thee, that they may all form a single band to do thy will with a perfect heart, even as we know, O Lord our God, that dominion is thine, strength is in thy hand, and might in thy right hand, and that thy name is to be feared above all that thou hast created.
Give then glory, O Lord, unto thy people, praise to them that fear thee, hope to them that seek thee, and free speech to them that wait for thee, joy to thy land, gladness to thy city, a flourishing horn unto David thy servant, and a clear shining light unto the son of Jesse, thine anointed, speedily in our days.
Then shall the just also see and be glad, and the upright shall exult, and the pious triumphantly rejoice, while iniquity shall close her mouth, and all wickedness shall be wholly consumed like smoke, when thou makest the dominion of arrogance to pass away from the earth.
And thou, O Lord, shalt reign, thou alone over all thy works on Mount Zion, the dwelling place of thy glory, and in Jerusalem, thy holy city, as it is written in thy Holy Words, The Lord shall reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
Holy art thou, and dreaded is thy name, and there is no God beside thee, as it is written, And the Lord of hosts is exalted in judgment, and the holy God is sanctified in righteousness. Blessed art thou, O Lord, the holy King.
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 called us by thy great and holy name.
On Sabbath add the words in brackets.
And thou hast given us in love, O Lord our God, [this Sabbath day and] this Day of Memorial, a day of blowing the Shofar [on Sabbaths substitute for the last phrase—a day of remembrance of blowing the Shofar, in love]; an holy convocation, as a memorial of the departure from Egypt.
But on account of our sins we were exiled from our land, and removed far from our country, and we are unable to fulfil our obligations in thy chosen house, that great and holy temple which was called by thy name, because of the hand that hath been stretched out against thy sanctuary. May it be thy will, O Lord
our God and God of our fathers, merciful King, that thou mayest again in thine abundant compassion have mercy upon us and upon thy sanctuary, and mayest speedily rebuild it and magnify its glory. Our Father, our King, do thou speedily make the glory of thy kingdom manifest upon us; shine forth and exalt thyself upon us in the sight of all living; bring our scattered ones among the nations near unto thee, and gather our dispersed from the ends of the earth. Lead us with exultation unto Zion thy city, and unto Jerusalem the place of thy sanctuary with everlasting joy; and there we will prepare before thee the offerings that are obligatory for us, the continual offerings according to their order, and the additional offerings according to their enactment; and the additional offerings of [this Sabbath day and] this Day of Memorial, we will prepare and offer unto thee in love according to the precept of thy will, as thou hast prescribed for us in thy Law through the hand of Moses thy servant, by the mouth of thy glory, as it is said:
[And on the Sabbath day two he-lambs of the first year without blemish, and two-tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour for a meal offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof; this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering and the drink offering thereof.]
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it shall be a day of blowing the Shofar unto you. And ye shall offer a burnt offering
for a sweet savor unto the Lord; one young bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering and their drink offerings as hath been ordained; three-tenth parts of an ephah for each bullock, and two-tenth parts for the ram, and one-tenth part for each lamb, with wine according to the drink offering thereof, and two he-goats wherewith to make atonement, and the two continual offerings according to their enactment; beside the burnt offering of the New Moon and the meal offering thereof, and the continual burnt offering and the meal offering thereof, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, for a sweet savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
[They that keep the Sabbath and call it a delight shall rejoice in thy kingdom; the people that hallow the seventh day, even all of them, shall be satiated and delighted with thy goodness, seeing that thou didst find pleasure in the seventh day, and didst hallow it; thou didst call it the desirable of days, in remembrance of the creation.]
It is our duty to praise the Lord of all things, to ascribe greatness to him who formed the world in the beginning, since he hath not made us like the nations of other lands, and hath not placed us like other families of the earth, since he hath not assigned unto us a portion as unto them, nor a lot as unto all their multitude. For we bend the knee and offer worship and thanks before the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be he, who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, the seat of whose glory is in the heavens above, and the abode of whose might is in the loftiest heights. He is our God; there is none else: in truth he is our King; there is none besides him; as it is written in his Law, And thou shalt know this day, and lay it to thine heart, that
the Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
We therefore hope in thee, O Lord our God, that we may speedily behold the glory of thy might, when thou wilt remove the abominations from the earth, and the idols will be utterly cut off, when the world will be perfected under the kingdom of the Almighty, and all the children of flesh will call upon thy name, when thou wilt turn unto thyself all the wicked of the earth. Let all the inhabitants of the world perceive and know that unto thee every knee must bow, every tongue must swear. Before thee, O Lord our God, let them bow and fall; and unto thy glorious name let them give honor; let them all accept the yoke of thy kingdom, and do thou reign over them speedily, and for ever and ever. For the kingdom is thine, and to all eternity thou wilt reign in glory; as it is written in thy Law, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever.
And it is said, He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the trumpet shout of a King is among them. And it is said, And he became King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, the tribes of Israel together. And in thy Holy Words it is written, saying, For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is ruler over the nations. And it is said, The Lord reigneth; he hath robed him in majesty; the Lord hath robed him, yea, he hath girded himself with strength: the world also is set firm, that it cannot be
moved. And it is said, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who, then, is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who, then, is the King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. (Selah.) And by the hands of thy servants, the prophets, it is written, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And it is said, And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's. And it is said, And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall the Lord be One and his name One. And in thy Law it is written saying, Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Our God and God of our fathers, reign thou in thy glory over the whole universe, and be exalted above all the earth in thine honor, and shine forth in the splendor and excellence of thy might upon all the inhabitants of thy world, that whatsoever hath been made may know that thou hast made it, and whatsoever hath been created may understand that thou hast created it, and whatsoever hath breath in its nostrils may say, the Lord God of Israel is King and his dominion ruleth over all. [Our God and
[paragraph continues] God of our fathers, accept our rest.] Sanctify us by thy commandments, and grant our portion in thy Law; satisfy us with thy goodness, and gladden us with thy salvation: [and in thy love and favor, O Lord our God, let us inherit thy holy Sabbath; and may Israel, who hallow thy name, rest thereon]. O purify our hearts to serve thee in truth, for thou art God in truth, and thy word is truth, and endureth for ever. Blessed art thou, O Lord,) King over all the earth, who sanctifiest [the Sabbath and] Israel and the Day of Memorial.
Thou rememberest what was wrought from eternity and art mindful of all that hath been formed from of old: before thee all secrets are revealed and the multitude of hidden things from the beginning; for there is no forgetfulness before the throne of thy glory; nor is there ought hidden from thine eves. Thou rememberest every deed that hath been done: not a creature is concealed from thee: all things are manifest and known unto thee, O Lord our God, who lookest and seest to the end of all generations. For thou wilt bring on the appointed time of memorial when every spirit and soul shall be visited, and the multitudinous works be remembered with the innumerable throng of thy creatures. From the beginning thou didst make this thy purpose known, and from aforetime thou didst disclose it. This day, on which was the beginning of thy work, is a memorial of the first day, for it is a statute for Israel, a decree of the God of Jacob. Thereon also sentence is pronounced upon countries,—which of them is destined to the
sword and which to peace, which to famine and Which to plenty; and each separate creature is visited thereon, and recorded for life or for death. Who is not visited on this day? For the remembrance of every creature cometh before thee, each man's deeds and destiny, his works and ways, his thoughts and schemes, his imaginings and achievements. Happy is the man who forgetteth thee not, and the son of man who strengtheneth himself in thee; for they that seek thee shall never stumble, neither shall any be put to shame who trust in thee. Yea, the remembrance of all works cometh before thee, and thou enquirest into the doings of them all. Of Noah also thou wast mindful in thy love, and didst visit him with a promise of salvation and mercy, when thou broughtest the waters of the flood to destroy all flesh on account of their evil deeds. So his remembrance came before thee, O Lord our God, to increase his seed like the dust of the earth, and his offspring like the sand of the sea: as it is written in thy Law, And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided. And it is said, And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. And it is said, Then will I remember my covenant with
[paragraph continues] Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. And in thy Holy Words it is written saying, He hath made a memorial for his wondrous works: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion. And it is said, He hath given food unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. And it is said, And he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. And by the hands of thy servants, the prophets, it is written saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember for thee the kindness of thy youth, the love of thy bridal state; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. And it is said, Nevertheless, I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. And it is said, Is Ephraim a precious son unto me? Is he a caressed child? As often as I spake against him, I earnestly remembered him . therefore my heart yearneth for him: I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.
Our God and God of our fathers, let us be remembered by thee for good: grant us a visitation of salvation and mercy from thy heavens, the heavens of old; and remember unto us, O Lord our God, the covenant and the lovingkindness and the oath which thou swarest unto Abraham our father on Mount Moriah: and may the binding with which Abraham our father bound his son Isaac on the altar appear before thee.
how he overbore his compassion in order to perform thy will with a perfect heart. So may thy compassion overbear thine anger against us; in thy great goodness may the fierceness of thy wrath turn aside from thy people, thy city and thine inheritance. Fulfil unto us, O Lord our God, the word in which thou hast bidden us trust in thy Law through the hand of Moses thy servant, from the mouth of thy glory, as it is said, But I will remember unto them the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord. For thou art he who remembereth from eternity all forgotten things, and before the throne of whose glory there is no forgetfulness. O remember the binding of Isaac this day in mercy unto his seed. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who rememberest the covenant.
Thou didst reveal thyself in a cloud of glory unto thy holy people in order to speak with them. Out of heaven thou didst make them hear thy voice and wast revealed unto them in clouds of purity. The whole world trembled at thy presence, and the works of creation were in awe of thee, when thou didst thus reveal thyself, O our King, upon Mount Sinai to teach thy people the law and commandments, and didst make them hear thy majestic voice and thy holy utterances out of flames of fire. Amidst thunders and lightnings thou didst manifest thyself to them, and while the Shofar sounded thou didst shine forth upon them; as it is written in thy Law, And it came to pass on the
third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the sound of the Shofar exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. And it is said, And the sound of the Shofar waxed louder and louder; Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And it is said, And all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, and the sound of the Shofar, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they were moved and stood afar off. And in thy Holy Words it is written, saying, God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a Shofar. And it is said, With trumpets and sound of Shofar shout joyously before the King, the Lord. And it is said, Blow the Shofar on the new moon, at the beginning of the month, for our day of festival; for it is a statute for Israel, a decree of the God of Jacob. And it is said, Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his abundant greatness. Praise him with the blast of the Shofar: praise him with the harp and the lyre. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and the pipe, Praise him with the clear-toned cymbals: praise him with the loud-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. And by the hands of thy servants, the prophets, it is written saying, All ye inhabitants of the world, and ye dwellers on the earth, when an ensign is lifted up on the mountains, see ye, and when the Shofar is
blown, hear ye. And it is said, And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great Shofar shall be blown; and they shall come who were lost in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. And it is said, And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the Shofar, and shall go with the whirlwinds of the south. The Lord of hosts shall be a shield unto them. So be a shield unto thy people Israel with thy peace.
Our God and God of our fathers, sound the great Shofar for our freedom, lift up the ensign to gather our exiles; bring our scattered ones among the nations near unto thee, and gather our dispersed from the ends of the earth. Lead us with exultation unto Zion, thy city, and unto Jerusalem the place of thy sanctuary with everlasting joy; and there we will prepare before thee the offerings that are obligatory for us, as is commanded us in thy Law through the hand of Moses thy servant, from the mouth of thy glory, as it is said, And in the day of your gladness, and in your set feasts, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the Lord your God. For thou hearest the sound of the Shofar and givest heed to the trumpet-blast, and there
is none like unto thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who in mercy hearest the sound of the trumpet-blast of thy people Israel.
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 which are in thy charge, and for thy miracles, which are daily with us, and for thy
Congregation in an undertone
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.
O inscribe all the children of thy covenant for a happy life.
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.
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 Law of life, lovingkindness and righteousness, blessing, mercy, life and peace; and may it be good it thy sight to bless thy people Israel at all times and in every hour with thy peace.
In the book of life, blessing, peace and good sustenance may we be remembered and inscribed before thee, we and all thy people the house of Israel, for a happy life and for peace. Blessed art thou, O Lord who makest 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.
For the Blessing of the Priests when the New Year falls on a week-day, see pp. 347–348.
On the First Day of New Year, or, when New Year falls on Sabbath, on the Second Day, after the Afternoon Service, it is customary to go to the banks of a river, or of any other piece of water, and to say the following:—
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in lovingkindness. He will turn again and have mercy upon us; he will subdue our iniquities. And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. O mayest thou cast all the sins of thy people, the house of Israel, into a place where they shall be no more remembered or visited, or ever
again come to mind. Thou wilt show faithfulness to Jacob, and lovingkindness to Abraham as thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.