T’ruah haverim/ot were invited to offer a blessing for IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel. on the theme of one of the blessings of the weekday AmidahLit. Standing One of the central prayers of the Jewish prayer service, recited silently while standing.. Their compiled contributions form this 19-part prayer for Israel, which we offered aloud at the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration, May 12, 2016/4 Iyyar, 5776.
1.
Mekor Chayim, Source of courage and loving-kindness for our ancestors in every generation, help us be worthy trustees for their dreams of a home which is safe, free, and just.
Baruch Atah Adonai, magen AvrahamAbraham is the first patriarch and the father of the Jewish people. He is the husband of Sarah and the father of Isaac and Ishmael. God's covenant - that we will be a great people and inherit the land of Israel - begins with Abraham and is marked by his circumcision, the first in Jewish history. His Hebrew name is Avraham. v’ezrat SarahThe first matriarch, wife of Abraham, and mother of Isaac, whom she birthed at the age of 90. Sarah, in Rabbinic tradition, is considered holy, beautiful, and hospitable. Many prayers, particularly the Amidah (the central silent prayer), refer to God as Magen Avraham – protector of Abraham. Many Jews now add: pokehd or ezrat Sarah – guardian or helper of Sarah..
—Rabbi Marc Margolius
2.
In love, you sustain all living beings,
You lift up those who are bent down in despair,
You attend to our broken hearts,
You have the power to release us from anger and vengefulness.
Who can compare to you God?
You are the Source of life and death, granting Your faithful ones to choose between the blessing and the curse.
You animate all life and challenge us to live in ways that sustain goodness.
Baruch Atah Adonai, m’haye kol chai.
—Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
3.
We proclaim Your holiness by recognizing the holiness of all people, all created in Your image. Help us to see that the yearning to be a free people in a free land is also the yearning to be a holy people in a holy land that recognizes the sanctity of all life.
Baruch Atah Adonai, ha-El hakadosh.
—Rabbi Cecelia Beyer
4.
Cold mind or warm mind? Cruelty or embrace? Mokhin d’gadlut—expansive mind—or mokhin d’katnut—small-mindedness? Which shall it be in Israel? The human mind is a marvel, but its use depends on the love which G-d gave it. Kal v’homer [all the more so], governments.
Baruch Atah YahA name for God, as in "halleluyah" – praise God. Some people prefer this name for God as a non-gendered option., honen hada’at.
—Rabbi Ellen Lippmann
5.
May our individual actions as Jews, and our collective actions as a people throughout the whole world, return us to our commitment to the sacred path of justice and peace.
Baruch Atah Ad-nai, harotzeh bi’tshuvah.
—Rabbi Beni Wajnberg
6.
Divine Spirit, Abundant in Forgiveness, expand our hearts today. As we walk through this world together – Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Muslims – let us forgive the missteps of our neighbors knowing that we, too, have fallen short in our pursuit of peace.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, חַנּוּן הַמַּרְבֶּה לִסְלחַ.
Blessed are you, Adonai, Gracious One with an abundant ability to forgive.
—Rabbi RachelLavan's younger daughter and Jacob's beloved wife second wife (after he is initially tricked into marrying her older sister, Leah). Rachel grieves throughout her life that she is barren while Leah is so fertile. Ultimately, Rachel gives birth to Joseph and dies in childbirth with Benjamin. Rachel is remembered as compassionate (she is said to still weep for her children), and infertile women often invoke Rachel as a kind of intercessor and visit her tomb on the road to Bethlehem. Grant Meyer
7.
God of redemption, who places in our hands the tools of redemption. See our pain at the too many Israeli and Palestinian lives lost. Help us bring about the first flowering of a redemption that brings justice and peace to all.
Baruch Atah Adonai, goel Yisrael.
—Rabbi Jill Jacobs
8.
Heal the illnesses of vengeance and entitlement, of racism and collective hate. Let us merit being healers of body and soul to all who dwell among us and around us.
Baruch Atah Adonai, rofeh holei amo Yisrael.
—Rabbi David Dunn Bauer
9.
בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ אֶת הַשָּׁנָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת כָּל בְּנֵי הָאָדָם לָטוֹבָה. וְתֵן כָּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוּת לִבְּרָכָה בְּתוֹךְ לְבָבֵינוּ וְנִזְכֶּה לְשִׂיוְוִיוֹן
וּבָרֵךְ שֶׁנָּתְנּוּ כַּשָּׁנִים שְׁחֹלוֹמוֹתֵינוּ
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ מְבָרֵךְ הַשָּׁנִים
Bless this year for us, Adonai our God, and bless all people for good. Grant us the wisdom to see the dignity in all people as a blessing, and may we merit to achieve equality for all. Bless this year to be as the years of which we dream. Baruch Atah Adonai, who blesses the years.
—Rabbi Mia Simring
10.
Sound a great shofarA ram's horn that is blown on the High Holidays to "wake us up" and call Jews to repentance. It is also said that its blast will herald the coming of the messiah.
of liberty and welcome
so that Israel, a refuge for our own tempest-tossed huddled masses in decades past,
continues to be a safe home for all who seek her shelter.
Baruch Atah Adonai, mekabetz nidchei amo Yisrael.
—Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson
11.
Restore our Standards of Justice as before;
Return our Advisors to our Founding Vision —
Removing all sorrow and suffering,
Serving You Alone, with Lovingkindness and Compassion,
Righteousness through Justice.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי מֶלֶךְ אוֹהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט
—Rabbi SimkhaA happy occasion. Usually describes a celebration for a life cycle event (birth, wedding, etc.). Weintraub
12.
וּלְמַחֲרִימִים אֵל תְּהִי פִּתְחָה וְכָל הַרְשָׁעָה בְּתוֹכֵינוּ תַּאֲבִיד וְכָל אוֹיְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִתְחָרְטוּ וְשַׁנָּאֵי שְלוֹמֶךָ מְהֵרָה יִכָּנְעוּ
בָּרוּכָה אָתָה שׁוֹבֵרֶת אוֹיְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַה זֵדִים
May Israel no longer provide cause to her critics, for You will have helped us to lose the evil within us. May the enemies of Your people soon repent, and those who hate Your peace speedily see their error. Blessed are You, who uproots hatred and subdues villains.
—Rabbi Josh Frankel
13.
Let divine mercy rise up for those who dwell in Israel: the open-hearted, the justice-seekers, the wise elders, the wide-eyed pursuers of peace.
May we faithfully embrace our shared dreams.
Baruch Atah Adonai, mish’an umivtach latzadikim.
—Senior Organizer Marisa Elana James
14.
JerusalemLit. City of peace From the time of David to the Roman destruction, Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and the spiritual and governmental center of the Jewish people. During the long exile, Jews longed to return to Jerusalem and wrote poems, prayers, and songs about the beloved city. In 1967, with the capture of the Old City, Jerusalem was reunited, becoming "the eternal capital of Israel." Still, the longing for peace is unfulfilled. is named the city of peace.
מָתַי תִּמְלֹךְ בְּצִיּוֹן בְּקָרוֹב בְּיָמֵינוּ
Quickly establish peace and wholeness for Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, so it truly IS a city of peace.
Baruch Atah Adonai, boneh Yerushalayim.
—Rabbi Jeff Marker
15.
The sprout of David shoots upward, flowers outward, springing from roots deeply set. M’heirah! Quickly, G?d, please. May the horn of David be plentiful, abundant, generous.
Salvation is an invitation, offered always, to us, by us. Every day, G?d, we have hoped for You, and now You offer us a hint of Your place.
וּמְצַפִּים תָּמִיד לִישׁוּעָה
G?d, may we never cease from striving for Your salvation, even when it begins to arrive.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ מַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן לִישׁוּעָה
—Joshua Schwartz
16.
Sh’ma koleinu – hear our voice – all our voices – regardless of religion, race, sex, or any other means to separate us. Hear our voices and prayers – as individuals, and joined in chorus.
Baruch Atah Adonai, shomei’a t’filah.
—Cantor Lauren Levy
17.
May the prayers and service of all who work for justice and peace cause Your loving Presence to return to that city which is holy to so many. May we all witness the return of Your compassionate Presence to Zion.
Baruch Atah HaShemLit. The Name, referring to the ineffable name of God; used as a substitute for any of the more sacred names of God when not speaking in prayer. Particularly used in conversation., hamahazir Shekhinato leTziyyon.
—Student Rabbi Louis Polisson
18.
We give thanks for the vision of a just Israel. We give thanks for the awareness that, today, we are all called upon to help bring that vision to life.
Baruch Atah Adonai, hatov shimkha u-lekha na’eh lehodot.
—David Shmidt Chapman
19.
Source of peace, strengthen our resolve to bring about the prophetic vision of freedom, justice and peace for all people, in the land of Israel and, indeed, the whole world. Blessed is the One who makes peace.
—Cantor Suzanne Bernstein
