Source of love and justice, source of comfort and truth,
Be with us as we go forth today.
Grant us the steadiness of the mountains
and brighten the skies with a guiding light for the way ahead.
Bolster our faith to arise each day,
take the next step,
breathe the next breath.
May we remember that all humans are hurting in some way,
each carrying weighty burdens that we are too frail to carry alone.
May we find strength in each other, in our beloveds, in our community,
across the divides and yet one in our humanity.
May we draw on the guiding light of TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. and in the unfolding story of our people.
May our teachers and texts inspire us with the wisdom of sages and seekers, prophets and Proverbs, philosophers and poets and plain people
who resisted and endured and overcame emperors and pharaohs.
May we be lavish with our kindness
And judicious in our anger.
And may we always draw on joy in the darkness,
And acknowledge the suffering while we rejoice.
שִׁיר לַֽמַּעֲלוֹת
אֶשָּׂא עֵינַי אֶל־הֶהָרִים מֵאַיִן יָבֹא עֶזְרִי׃
עֶזְרִי מֵעִם ה׳ עֹשֵׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃
Drawing on the words of Psalm 121:
May we who seek to arise from this dark place
draw strength from the eternity of the mountains
and from their Source, who renews us each day.
May we who seek to arise from this dark place
draw strength from the eternity of the mountains
and from their Source, who renews us each day.
Rabbi Barbara Penzner is the Interim CEO of the RRA and Rabbi Emerita of Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, Boston
ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends. Lekh Lekha 5785
