Additional Service for the Festivals

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

p. 336

ADDITIONAL SERVICE FOR THE FESTIVALS

To be said on Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, and on the intermediate days of Festivals.

The following prayer (Amidah) to "as in ancient years," p. 347, is said standing.

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 the 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.

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

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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 added to "holy God," p. 338.

* Reader.—We will reverence and sanctify thee according to the mystic utterance of the Holy Seraphim, who hallow thy name in the sanctuary, 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.

Reader.—His glory filleth the universe: his ministering angels ask one another, Where is the place of his glory? Those over against them say, Blessed—

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

Reader.—From his place may he turn in mercy and be gracious unto a people who, evening and morning, twice every day, proclaim with constancy the unity of his name, saying in love, Hear—

Cong.—Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

Reader.—One is Our God; he is our Father; he is our King, he is our Savior; and he of his mercy will let us hear a second time, in the presence of all living (his promise), "To be to you for a God."

Cong.—"I am the Lord your God."

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Reader.—And in thy Holy Words it is written, saying,

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 front 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.

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:

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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.

But on account of our sins we were exiled from our land, and removed far from our country, and we are unable to go up in order to appear and prostrate ourselves before thee, and 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 offering of [this Sabbath day with the additional offering of] this

On Passover say:—

Feast of Unleavened Bread—

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On Pentecost:—

Feast of Weeks—

On Tabernacles:—

Feast of Tabernacles—

On the Eighth Day of Solemn Assembly and on the Rejoicing of the Law.

Eighth-day Feast of Solemn Assembly 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.]

On the first two days of Passover say:—

And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is the Passover unto the Lord. And on the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast: seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. On the first day shall be an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

And ye shall offer an offering made by fire, a burnt offering unto the Lord; two young bullocks and one ram, and seven he-lambs of the first year; they shall be unto you without blemish.

On Passover, after the first two days, say the last paragraph only.

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On Pentecost say:—

And on the day of the first fruits, when ye offer a new meal offering unto the Lord in your Feast of Weeks, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work; ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savor unto the Lord; two young bullocks, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year.

On the first two days of Tabernacles say:—

And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work, and ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days. And ye shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord; thirteen young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year; they shall be without blemish.

On all Festivals say:—

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 a he-goat wherewith to make atonement, and the two continual offerings according to their enactment.

On the first of the Intermediate Days of Tabernacles say:—

And on the second day ye shall offer twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

And on the third day ye shall offer eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

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On the second of the Intermediate Days of Tabernacles, say:—

And on the third day ye shall offer eleven bullocks two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

And on the fourth day ye shall offer ten bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

On the third of the Intermediate Days of Tabernacles, say:—

And on the fourth day ye shall offer ten bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

And on the fifth day ye shall offer nine bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

On the fourth of the Intermediate Days of Tabernacles, say:—

And on the fifth day ye shall offer nine bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

And on the sixth day ye shall offer eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

On the fifth of the Intermediate Days of Tabernacles (Hoshana Rabba), say:—

And on the sixth day ye shall offer eight bullocks, two rams, fourteen he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

And on the seventh day ye shall offer seven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lie-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

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

On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work. And ye shall offer a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord: one bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish. And their meal offering, etc.

[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.]

Our God and God of our fathers, merciful King, have mercy upon us, O thou good and beneficent Being, suffer thyself to be sought of us; return unto us in thy yearning compassion for the fathers’ sake who did thy will; rebuild thy house as at the beginning, and establish thy sanctuary upon its site; grant that we may see it in its rebuilding, and make us rejoice in its re-establishment; restore the priests to their service, the Levites to their song and psalmody, and Israel to their habitations: and there we will go up to appear and prostrate ourselves before thee at the three periods of our festivals, according as it is written in thy Law, Three times in the year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, on the feast of unleavened bread; and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty. Every man shall bring according as he is able, according to tile blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

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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 commandments, and grant our portion in thy Law; satisfy us with thy goodness, and gladden us with thy salvation; purify our hearts to serve thee in truth; and let us inherit, 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 restoreth 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;

Congregation in an undertone:

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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 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

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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 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

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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.

THE ORDER OF THE BLESSING OF THE PRIESTS

On Festivals, except on Sabbath, the following Order of the Blessing of the Priests is added in the Additional Amidah after "acceptable unto thee," p. 344.

The Priests ascend the steps of the Ark.

Cong. and Reader.—And may our prayer be acceptable unto thee as burnt offering and as sacrifice. O thou who art merciful, we beseech thee, in thine abundant mercy to restore thy divine presence unto Zion, and the ordained service to Jerusalem. And let our eyes behold thy return in mercy to Zion, and there will we worship thee in awe, as in the days of old and as in ancient years.

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Reader.—Blessed art thou, O Lord, whom alone we serve in awe.

Continue "We give thanks unto thee," p. 344, to "it is becoming to give thanks," p. 345.

The Reader says to "and his sons," in an undertone.

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,

Reader.—The priests,

Cong.—Thy holy people, as it is said:

The Priests pronounce the following blessing:

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who hast sanctified us with the sanctity of Aaron and hast commanded us to bless thy people Israel in love.

Reader followed by the Priests, word for word. Cong.

The Lord bless thee and keep thee: Amen.

The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: Amen,

The Lord turn his face unto thee and give thee peace. Amen. Selah.

Continue "Grant peace," etc., p. 346, to the end of the Amidah.