A Prayer for the Polls

As we go to the polls this November 8th, let us remember that it is a shehekheyanu moment, a particularly historic election. We mark that with the blessing for reaching this moment in our lives:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶהֶחֱיָנוּ וְקיְּמָנוּ וְהִגִיעָנוּ לַזְּמַן הַזֶּה.

.Barukh ata adonai elohaynu melekh ha’olam shehekheyanu v’kiymanu v’higianu lazman hazeh. Amen

Blessed are you Yah who has kept us in life

who has sustained us and who has permitted us

to reach this precious moment

 

But there is also the Jewish notion that we need to be busy with the work of our communities:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ לַעֲסוֹק בְּצָרְכֵי צִבּוּר

Barukh atah adonai eloheinu melekh ha’olam asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la’asok betzorkhei tzibur.

How full of blessing you are, Eternal One, our God, majesty of the Universe, who has consecrated us with Your commands, and commanded us to occupy ourselves with the needs of the community.

A prayer for this election:

May we feel driven toward creating a world full of respect, kindness and love

Let us embody the vision we want to see realized

While we note there is still so much work to be done

It is incumbent upon us to recognize that we are not alone

But we work in community with our families, our neighborhoods, our cities, our towns, our state and our country.

We will not rest until our world looks better for the nation’s children.

 

May we be able to make voting a ritual moment, and say a prayer as we vote.

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