On the Anniversary of Oct. 7: Words of Prayer

Hamakom, God of Presence, comfort us in our abiding grief on this painful yahrzeit—for the countless atrocities of that terrible day and for all the death and pain that has followed in its wake.

Tzur Yisrael, Rock of , grant us solid ground in the midst of this turmoil.

Zokef kefufim, Raiser up of the Humbled, support us to rise from paralysis into resolve.

Rofei leshvurei lev, Healer of Broken Hearts, walk with us on the path from grief toward repair.

Ehyeh asher ehyeh, God of Potential, remind us there is life and possibility beyond our pain.

Noten la’ya’ef ko’akh, Giver of Strength to the Weary, grant our people access to ancestral resilience in the face of adversity.

Yotzer or, Creator of Light, help all still recovering from trauma to find their ways to Your light.

Pote’akh ivrim, may those who refuse to see the brutality of that day turn their gaze to the testimonies of its victims.

Matir asurim, Redeemer of Captives, bring the hostages home safely and soon.

Shomer Yisrael, Protector of Israel, watch over the people and land of Israel and those who guard them.

Shomer ger, yetom, v’almanah, Protector of the Vulnerable Outside our Gates, watch over all those in need of protection.

Me’on bedor vador, Refuge in Every Generation, let every displaced person find safety and security.

Rodef shalom, Pursuer of Peace, restore our hope in the possibility of transformative peace.

Rodef tzedek, Seeker of Justice, help us hold our leaders accountable to ethical and moral political visions.

El elyon, Everlasting God, bolster us to see that godliness abides beyond political certainties.

M’kor hokhmah, Source of Wisdom, aid us in discerning constructive ways to simultaneously support our people and heal our broken world.

El malei rakhamim, God Full of Mercy, awaken us to know we are bound up in each other’s well-being.

Oseh shalom bimromav, Maker of Peace in the Highest Heavens, may we act each day in ways large and small to abolish wars and bloodshed from the world.

ShekhinahThe feminine name of God, expounded upon in the rabbinic era and then by the Kabbalists in extensive literature on the feminine attributes of the divine., God Who is in Us and with Us, may we co-create together a great and lasting peace for all our people and all who dwell on earth.

Rabbi Deborah Waxman is the President and CEO, Reconstructing Judaism.