articles related to Pharaoh and inauguration; democracy prayer; storm prayer; prayer for the land of Israel/Palestine; a new composition to listen to; borei nefashot blessing - seven items
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David Seidenberg
Jan 17, 2025, 12:39:50 PMJan 17
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There's a lot in this missive -- I hope you have a chance to get through it all.
https://neohasid.org/resources/borei-nefashot/
1) I just added a recording of the Borei Nefashot blessing, sung to Batya Levine's "May I be empty". This is truly one of the most important blessings in Judaism. If we can sing it, we can all learn it. At this link you will also find a postcard-sized version of the brakhah with artwork by Rachel KatzPassow and commentary/translation on the back. It is an excellent resource for sharing and teaching this wonderful blessing. Here's the link:
2) I also finished a significant composition recently, a wind quintet with timpani. The piece is titled "What the world needs now" because it quotes that musical phrase from the song "Love sweet love" several times. It's what I started working on in May after finishing the draft of the piece I started in October 2023 (that piece was a response to the war). The new piece is ten minutes long. Link is:
BTW, the link to the final version of the composition from last year that was a response to the war, titled "Tremendum", is:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lAzja-Y3toEnynlWN5O4Tw0xHAbkmTtx
http://neohasid.org/pdf/Stormprayer-now.pdf
7) A prayer for the land of Israel and the state - for peace to reign and hatred cease "from the river to the sea", to be saved "from haters without and hatred within". I think the third paragraph is most relevant right now (the second paragraph addresses the so-called judicial reform, which might be too relevant in a very near and disastrous future):
"Rescue all of Your land, from the Jordan River to the sea, from the spilling of blood, and all of her inhabitants, under every government, from haters without and hatred within, and grant peace and abundance in all the land, and secure calm to her defenders, lasting joy to all her inhabitants, and true hope for all her peoples. And let us say: Amen."
Hatzeil na et kol ar’tzekha bein yardein layam mish’fichut damim, v’khol hayoshvim bah, tachat kol shilton, mison’im bachutz umisin’ah bifnim, v’natata shalom v’shefa ba’aretz v’shalvah lim’gineha, simchat olam l’khol yoshveha"v’tikvah tovah l’khol ameha - v'nomar Amen.
PDF for the full prayer here: https://neohasid.org/docs/Prayer-state-23.pdf and explanation here: https://neohasid.org/resources/Prayer-state/
shabat shalom!
3) The second inauguration of that man has me going back to read what I wrote about the first inauguration. It seems still to be relevant - "‘A new king arose’: Inaugurating an era of fools and Pharaohs" - at:
4) DON'T FORGET THE PRAYER FOR DEMOCRACY on Inauguration Day:
May You tear out autocracy, tyranny and despotism, ruin those who cheat and deceive, and upend those who oppress the vulnerable. Make the reign of the arrogant disappear from all lands.
May the people attacking democracies everywhere stumble and fail, and may their plans be as nought. Stop them, humble them, bring on their downfall, soon, in our days.
May You give to all peoples the strength and will to pursue righteousness and seek peace as a unified force, so that violence be uprooted, and healing, good life and peace may flourish.
תְעַקֵּר רוֹדָנוּת וְטִירוּנִיָא וָעָרִיצוּת
וּתְשַׁבֵּר רַמַאִים
וּתְמַגֵּר עֹשְׁקֵי נִדְכָּאִים
תַעֲבִיר מֶמְשֶׁלֶת זָדוֹן מִן הָאָרֶץ
תַּכְשִׁיל פּוֹגְעִים בְּדֵמוֹקרָטִיָה וְתָּפֵר תַחְבּוּלוֹתָם
תְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינו
תִּתֵּן לְכָל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם הָכֹּחַ וְהַרָצוֹן
לִרְדֹף צֶדֶק וּלְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם כְּאַגֻדָה אַחַת
לֲעַקֹר חָמָס וּלְהַצְמִיחַ רְפוּאָה וְחַיִים טוֹבִים וְשָׁלוֹם
_____________
May the people attacking democracies everywhere stumble and fail, and may their plans be as nought. Stop them, humble them, bring on their downfall, soon, in our days.
May You give to all peoples the strength and will to pursue righteousness and seek peace as a unified force, so that violence be uprooted, and healing, good life and peace may flourish.
תְעַקֵּר רוֹדָנוּת וְטִירוּנִיָא וָעָרִיצוּת
וּתְשַׁבֵּר רַמַאִים
וּתְמַגֵּר עֹשְׁקֵי נִדְכָּאִים
תַעֲבִיר מֶמְשֶׁלֶת זָדוֹן מִן הָאָרֶץ
תַּכְשִׁיל פּוֹגְעִים בְּדֵמוֹקרָטִיָה וְתָּפֵר תַחְבּוּלוֹתָם
תְכַלֵּם וְתַשְׁפִּילֵם וְתַכְנִיעֵם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינו
תִּתֵּן לְכָל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם הָכֹּחַ וְהַרָצוֹן
לִרְדֹף צֶדֶק וּלְבַקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם כְּאַגֻדָה אַחַת
לֲעַקֹר חָמָס וּלְהַצְמִיחַ רְפוּאָה וְחַיִים טוֹבִים וְשָׁלוֹם
_____________
5) For this week's parshah and the next few weeks: I made a text sheet with all the verses about Pharaoh's heart in the upcoming parshiyot, with plagues and all the verbs related to Pharaoh's heart highlighted: http://neohasid.org/pdf/Pharaohs-heart3.pdf
Note that the text sheet is just the Hebrew, but it may still be useful for anyone wanting to study the subject to have the verses laid out in one place. Here also is a shorter article focusing just on Pharaoh's heart: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/pharaohs-heart-a-tragedy-of-our-time/
"Pharaoh does not lose his free will, but his ability to learn. Or rather, Moses’ Pharaoh, who starts out at the beginning of the story steadfastly refusing to learn from others, is given the power to continue on this path."
6) Ka'avur sufah - a prayer for the safety and well-being of the people affected by the firestorms and the people helping them, and for this generation to find the strength to confront the civilizational faults that make such calamities frequent and more intense. Text is below signature. Here's the link to the pdf:
http://neohasid.org/pdf/Stormprayer-now.pdf
7) A prayer for the land of Israel and the state - for peace to reign and hatred cease "from the river to the sea", to be saved "from haters without and hatred within". I think the third paragraph is most relevant right now (the second paragraph addresses the so-called judicial reform, which might be too relevant in a very near and disastrous future):
"Rescue all of Your land, from the Jordan River to the sea, from the spilling of blood, and all of her inhabitants, under every government, from haters without and hatred within, and grant peace and abundance in all the land, and secure calm to her defenders, lasting joy to all her inhabitants, and true hope for all her peoples. And let us say: Amen."
Hatzeil na et kol ar’tzekha bein yardein layam mish’fichut damim, v’khol hayoshvim bah, tachat kol shilton, mison’im bachutz umisin’ah bifnim, v’natata shalom v’shefa ba’aretz v’shalvah lim’gineha, simchat olam l’khol yoshveha"v’tikvah tovah l’khol ameha - v'nomar Amen.
PDF for the full prayer here: https://neohasid.org/docs/Prayer-state-23.pdf and explanation here: https://neohasid.org/resources/Prayer-state/
shabat shalom!
David Seidenberg
Storm prayer (linked pdf includes the Hebrew):
Master of the Universe,
You commanded us, Choose life,
but the people of our generation
cannot discern how to choose life.
We are all of us responsible,
whether by necessity or by our choices,
for the disruption of the climate
that has intensified these deadly
storms and fires and droughts,
and so we are responsible for its healing.
We seek the strength
to accept our responsibility now
to help those damaged by raging fire* storms,
and to continue helping
in the face of coming storms,
to support all those engaged
in rescue and relief and rebuilding,
and to join with them.
And we pray for all the creatures and people
who are in need and exposed
by the passage of the storm:
please save them.
For You are the One who reproves nations
and who teaches humanity knowledge—
please teach us the path forward
to take responsibility for each other
and for the future of this wondrous planet
through vision, not abandon it to calamity.
Help us choose a way of life rooted in justice, for the just establish the world,
in order that the promise will be upheld
through us for our children
and our children’s children,
Blessed will you be in the city, blessed in the field,
so that we may not be lost quickly
from off the good earth.
Ribono shel olam, tsivitanu “uvacharta bachayyim”, uv’nei doreinu einenu hivchinu biv’chirat hachayyim. V’kulanu achrai’im, gam ba’al korcheinu gam mib’chirateinu l’hafra’at ha’akilim shesavir l’hagdil ha-s’arot v’has’reifot uvatzorot hakat’laniyot, ukh’mo khen achrai’im l’rapo’to.
M’vakshim anachnu et hakoach l’kabel ha’achrayut aleinu atah la’azor l’eilu shenifga’im al y’dei ha-s’arah, ul’himasheikh la’azor l’umat ha-s’arot has’reifot hamish’tolelot*, v’litmokh b’eilu shemits’tarfim ba’avodot hahatsalah v’has’ad v’habiyan ul’chaber itam. Va’anu mitpal’lim ba’ad kol hab’ru’im v’kol adam haniz’kakim v’chashufim “ka’avur sufah”, na l’hoshi’eim.
Ki atah “hayoseir goyim v’ham’lamed adam da’at” — Na l’lamdeinu et haderekh kadimah lakachat achraiyut zeh el zeh v’achraiyut al atid ha’olom hanifla’ al y’dei chazon v’lo la’azovo biy’dei ason. Azor lanu liv’chor b’derekh hachayyim m’yusad al hatsedek, ki tsadik y’sod olam, l’ma’an yitkayeim banu liv’neinu v’livnei baneinu hakatuv, “Barukh atah ba’ir, uvarukh atah b’sadeh” shelo ne’evad “m’heirah mei’al ha’arets hatovah”.
Storm prayer (linked pdf includes the Hebrew):
Master of the Universe,
You commanded us, Choose life,
but the people of our generation
cannot discern how to choose life.
We are all of us responsible,
whether by necessity or by our choices,
for the disruption of the climate
that has intensified these deadly
storms and fires and droughts,
and so we are responsible for its healing.
We seek the strength
to accept our responsibility now
to help those damaged by raging fire* storms,
and to continue helping
in the face of coming storms,
to support all those engaged
in rescue and relief and rebuilding,
and to join with them.
And we pray for all the creatures and people
who are in need and exposed
by the passage of the storm:
please save them.
For You are the One who reproves nations
and who teaches humanity knowledge—
please teach us the path forward
to take responsibility for each other
and for the future of this wondrous planet
through vision, not abandon it to calamity.
Help us choose a way of life rooted in justice, for the just establish the world,
in order that the promise will be upheld
through us for our children
and our children’s children,
Blessed will you be in the city, blessed in the field,
so that we may not be lost quickly
from off the good earth.
Ribono shel olam, tsivitanu “uvacharta bachayyim”, uv’nei doreinu einenu hivchinu biv’chirat hachayyim. V’kulanu achrai’im, gam ba’al korcheinu gam mib’chirateinu l’hafra’at ha’akilim shesavir l’hagdil ha-s’arot v’has’reifot uvatzorot hakat’laniyot, ukh’mo khen achrai’im l’rapo’to.
M’vakshim anachnu et hakoach l’kabel ha’achrayut aleinu atah la’azor l’eilu shenifga’im al y’dei ha-s’arah, ul’himasheikh la’azor l’umat ha-s’arot has’reifot hamish’tolelot*, v’litmokh b’eilu shemits’tarfim ba’avodot hahatsalah v’has’ad v’habiyan ul’chaber itam. Va’anu mitpal’lim ba’ad kol hab’ru’im v’kol adam haniz’kakim v’chashufim “ka’avur sufah”, na l’hoshi’eim.
Ki atah “hayoseir goyim v’ham’lamed adam da’at” — Na l’lamdeinu et haderekh kadimah lakachat achraiyut zeh el zeh v’achraiyut al atid ha’olom hanifla’ al y’dei chazon v’lo la’azovo biy’dei ason. Azor lanu liv’chor b’derekh hachayyim m’yusad al hatsedek, ki tsadik y’sod olam, l’ma’an yitkayeim banu liv’neinu v’livnei baneinu hakatuv, “Barukh atah ba’ir, uvarukh atah b’sadeh” shelo ne’evad “m’heirah mei’al ha’arets hatovah”.
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