This “tkhine” (supplication) is a para-liturgical prayer in Yiddish with an English translation that is meant to be recited by a woman during the shofar blowing service on Rosh Hashanah, an auspicious time for personal prayer. The prayer asks God for compassion and forgiveness, while beseeching the Matriarchs – Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah – to pray on our behalf. It was originally written in Yiddish by Rebbetzin Seril Rappaport (18th century, Poland), the daughter of the Maggid of Dubno and author of many original prayers. The English translation provided here was edited by Aharon Varady, the founding director of The Open Siddur Project, which aims to liberate the creative content of Jewish spiritual practice as a commonly held resource for adoption, adaptation, and redistribution.
tkhine shofar“תחנה אמהות | Tkhine of the Matriarchs for the Blowing of the Shofar by Seril Rappaport (ca. 18th century)” is shared by Aharon N. Varady (transcription) with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.