The Bedtime Shema---Beautiful!---Congregation Gates of Prayer

 

This is beautiful! I'm sorry that I don't know who is singing/praying/teaching.

See here for more.

It would be good for all of us to remember the following:

Master of the Universe, behold I forgive & pardon anyone who angered me, or antagonized me or who sinned against me, whether relating to my body, or my money, or my honor, or anything that belongs to me, whether done accidentally, or willingly, unintentionally or intentionally, or whether with words, whether with actions, whether in this present incarnation, whether in another incarnation - any person of Israel. And may no person be punished because of me. May it be Your will, My G·d, & G·d of my forefathers, that I will not sin again. And that that I did sin erase with Your abundant mercies, however, not through suffering or bad illnesses. May the expressions of my mouth & the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, G·d, my Rock & my Redeemer. (Taken from here.)

The Bedtime Shema--text, links, and a video.

Well, friends, I can't lie---today was a hard one. But it's about time to turn in.

Here is the opening of the Bedtime Shema in English taken from My Jewish Learning. The entire text is here. See down below for a video with music. Please say a prayer or prayers when you turn in tonight. God willing, we'll see one another tomorrow.

Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings sleep to my eyes, slumber to my eyelids. May it be Your will, Lord my God and God of my ancestors, that I lie down in peace and that I arise in peace. Let my sleep be undisturbed by troubling thoughts, bad dreams, and wicked schemes. May I have a night of tranquil slumber. May I awaken to the light of a new day, that my eyes may behold the splendor of Your light. Praised are You, Lord whose glory gives light to the entire world.

God is a faithful King.

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

Praised be His glorious sovereignty throughout all time.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. And these words which I command you this day you shall take to heart. You shall diligently teach them to your children. You shall recite them at home and away, morning and night. You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, they shall be a symbol above your eyes, and you shall inscribe them upon the doorposts of your homes and upon your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Help us, our Father, to lie down in peace; and awaken us to life again, our King. Spread over us Your shelter of peace, guide us with Your good counsel. Save us because of Your mercy. Shield us from enemies and pestilence, from starvation, sword and sorrow. Remove the evil forces that surround us, shelter us in the shadow of Your wings. You, O God, guard us and deliver us. You are a gracious and merciful King. Guard our coming and our going, grant us life and peace, now and always.

Praised is the Lord by day and praised by night, praised when we lie down and praised when we rise up. In Your hand are the souls of the living and the dead, the life of every creature, the breath of all flesh. Into Your hand I entrust my spirit: You will redeem me, Lord God of truth. Our God in Heaven, assert the unity of Your rule; affirm Your sovereignty, and reign over us forever.

May our eyes behold, our hearts rejoice in, and our souls be glad in our sure deliverance, when it shall be said to Zion: Your god is King. The Lord is King, the Lord was King, the Lord shall be King throughout all time. All sovereignty is Yours; unto all eternity only You reign in glory, only You are King. Praised are You, Lord and glorious King, eternal Ruler over us, and over all creation.

According to the Youtube post this was adapted from the Sh'ma for Bedtime in the Siddur, the Jewish Prayer Book, this composition was written in Jerusalem for the URJ Eisner Camp of Great Barrington, MA. It was adapted and composed by Jordan Franzel & Lisa Silverstein. It was published in the Shireinu series, the songbook for the Reform Movement.

Mistranslations of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles?

I read in the letters to the editor section in the Feb. 18-March 3 edition of the National Catholic Reporter that a writer believes that Pope Francis has said that Genesis 1:26 has been mistranslated. The common translation is as follows:

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

The writer claims (I think) that the Pope is saying that a correct or better translation would be:

...to protect the earth and ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations.

I also recently trad in Keith Giles' book Jesus Unbound that he thinks that 1 Corinthians:34-35 has been mistranslated. Our common translation reads:

34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.
35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

Giles says that the translation should be something more like:

Women should remain silent...it is a disgrace for a woman to speak in church.

WHAT?! So, did the word of God originate with you? Are you the only ones who can hear His voice? If you think you're a prophet or gifted by the Spirit then admit what I've written to you in this letter is the Lord's command. 

I don't know if these writers are correct or not, or if Pope Francis said what has been attributed to him or not. I hope that these are correct, but I don't know if they are or aren't.

But, correct or not, it's worth examining how different our lives would be if we had grown up with the newer translations instead of the old ones.