The Chief Rabbi has issued a special prayer in English and Hebrew to mark the passing of the Queen, to be recited in Orthodox synagogues throughout the UK and the Commonwealth this Shabbat.
It reads in part:
“In an age of profound change, she signified order and justice; and in times of tension, she offered generosity of spirit.
"A defender of faith with an unfailing sense of duty, she was a steadfast guardian of liberty, a symbol of unity and a champion of justice in all the lands of her dominion …In life, she was a most gracious monarch, who occupied a throne of distinction and honour. In death, may her legacy inspire the nations of the world to live together in righteousness and in peace.”
It will be read with Psalms before the usual Prayer for the Royal Family, which has been amended to acknowledge the new Sovereign, changing the words familiar to congregants for the last 70 years:
It will begin:
“He who gives salvation to kings and dominion to princes,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom – may He bless
Our Sovereign Lord, King Charles,
Our Gracious Queen Camilla,
the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, and all the Royal Family.”
The Prayer for the Royal Family is one of the most familiar prayers in the liturgy, not least because it is the one prayer traditionally recited in English in mainstream Orthodox synagogues.
Screenshot 2022-09-09 at 10.27.19
The Chief Rabbi's prayer on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II
It is read out before the Sefer Torah is returned to the Ark at the end of the Torah service.
Ultimately, the practice of praying for the welfare of the state in diaspora communities goes back to Jeremiah who counselled Jews to pray for the peace of the city in which they dwelt.
The first written version of such a prayer in Europe dates back to 11th-century France. In medieval times, Jews would recite it often knowing that it was the protection of the sovereign that stood between them and the malice of those who wished them harm.
When Manasseh ben Israel petitioned Oliver Cromwell to allow Jews to return openly to England, he referred to their custom of “blessing the prince of the country under who they live that all the Jews may hear it and say Amen”.
The wording of the version in common use today is similar to that used down the centuries, though there has been the odd change here and there. At one time, in more imperial days, we used to pray that the enemies of the monarch fell beneath their feet -- according to a plaque dating back to 1762 that adorns the wall of the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in use in the UK, in Plymouth.
The Chief Rabbi has issued a special prayer in English and Hebrew to mark the passing of the Queen, to be recited in Orthodox synagogues throughout the UK and the Commonwealth this Shabbat.
It reads in part:
“In an age of profound change, she signified order and justice; and in times of tension, she offered generosity of spirit.
A defender of faith with an unfailing sense of duty, she was a steadfast guardian of liberty, a symbol of unity and a champion of justice in all the lands of her dominion …In life, she was a most gracious monarch, who occupied a throne of distinction and honour. In death, may her legacy inspire the nations of the world to live together in righteousness and in peace.”
It is not a version of the traditional Memorial prayer, which was said on the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952.
It will be read with Psalms before the usual Prayer for the Royal Family, which has been amended to take in the new Sovereign, changing the words familiar to congregants for the last 70 years:
It will begin:
“He who gives salvation to kings and dominion to princes,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom – may He bless
Our Sovereign Lord, King Charles,
Our Gracious Queen Camilla,
the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, and all the Royal Family.”
The Prayer for the Royal Family is recited in synagogues throughout the UK on Shabbat mornings, and this coming Shabbat its wording will change to recognise the passing of the Queen and the accession to the throne of the new King.
It is one of the most familiar prayers in the liturgy, not least because it is the one prayer traditionally recited in English in mainstream Orthodox synagogues.
It is read out before the Sefer Torah is returned to the Ark at the end of the Torah service.
Ultimately, the practice of praying for the welfare of the state in diaspora communities goes back to Jeremiah who counselled Jews to pray for the peace of the city in which they dwelt.
The first written version of such a prayer in Europe dates back to 11th-century France. In medieval times, Jews would recite it often knowing that it was the protection of the sovereign that stood between them and the malice of those who wished them harm.
When Manasseh ben Israel petitioned Oliver Cromwell to allow Jews to return openly to England, he referred to their custom of “blessing the prince of the country under who they live that all the Jews may hear it and say Amen”.
The wording of the version in common use today is similar to that used down the centuries, though there has been the odd change here and there. At one time, in more imperial days, we used to pray that the enemies of the monarch fell beneath their feet -- according to a plaque dating back to 1762 that adorns the wall of the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in use in the UK, in Plymouth.
