Composed by members of Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation during the COVID-19 pandemic
A Prayer for Our Country (during COVID-19)
“What do I desire for my country? How do I vision the land I love?
Let it be a land where knowledge is free,”
May all our people live together as brothers and sisters
A land where we emerge from this with more caring, a greater appreciation for each other
A land where no one is forced to go to bed hungry or live on the streets
A land where everyone loves themselves well enough to love their fellow human being as themselves as we are commanded
A land with a wise, humane leader to serve as a role model for the country
A land where our leaders speak the truth
A land where our leaders truly work for the greater good
A land of compassion where we all work and play together
Where poles of separation become poles of mutual support and understanding
Where reason wins out over blind faith
Where we recover our historic genius for voluntary community commitment
Where our vision is restored to embrace humanity, inclusiveness, and empathy
A land where the light within each of us can begin to illuminate the world
Where, as we care for each other, we don’t forget to care for our fragile earth
Where there is equitable medical care for all
A land where we have economic security and justice for all
A land where kids are free to be happy and thrive and grow
A land that once again welcomes the “huddled masses yearning to be free”
Empathy
Where we all have the support and love of community
A land where we work together for the good of all
A land where knowledge and expertise are more valued in all ways so that people are motivated to become epidemiologists and teachers rather than reality TV starts or influencers
“Where the mind is led forward into ever-widening thought and action,
Into that heaven of freedom let my country awake.”
Portions at the beginning and end in quotations are excerpted from the Rabindranth Tagore reading in SiddurLit. Order of prayers. The prayer book. Kol Haneshamah (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. Vehagim, p. 419)
