A Queer Amidah

Standing before You
God of all that is
we remember
that before You created the heavens and the earth
You were One and all was one.
Before you separated light from dark,
making day and night
You were One
And time was one.
Before You divided the waters above from the waters beneath,
You were One
and space was one.
And we remember
that before You created male and female in your image
You were One
and we were one.

God of Oneness
infinite, eternal
How queer of You to have created anything at all.
God of queerness
in whom are united all separations
we stand before You now
queer ourselves,
made of heaven and earth,
day and night
female and male,
together
all of us
within Your awesome holy Oneness.

One person you made, God
in Your image, female and male
undivided
as male and female
are undivided in You
blended, united.
You made one person only
to remind us
that all of us are one
and all of us are descendants of the same first Holy Parent.
Holy, Holy, Holy is the God of Oneness
everything that is comes forth from You.
God of our ancestors,
AbrahamAbraham 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. and 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.,
RuthAn important female biblical character with her own book. The Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot, tells the story of Ruth’s devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, and their return to Israel. Ruth’s story is often read as the first story of conversion. Ruth is the grandmother of King David. and Naomi,
David and Jonathan,
we stand before You now and bend our knees
in awe of Your vastness.

And should we ever feel separate in body or soul
in body or soul
from You and Your embracing Oneness
we remind ourselves of the words You spoke
to one of our ancient prophets:

And let not the eunuch say, “I am a withered tree.
For the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,
who have chosen what I desire and hold fast to My covenant
I will give them, in My house and within My walls
a monument and a name better than sons or daughters.
I will given them an everlasting name which shall not perish.”
ISAIAH 56:4–5

We remember and keep
Your Sabbath
we hold fast to Your covenant
We breathe into
the very first wish that You made for us:

Be fruitful and multiply.
GENESIS 1:28

And together
in our many different ways
we express our innate fruitfulness
varied as the colors of Your rainbow
refractions of one sacred light
we join together in community
united in heartfelt prayer
in awe of your creation
and its manifest paradoxes.

How queer of You, God
To have created anything at all.
Source of Life and Blessing,
Maker and Sustainer,
of beauty and horror
joy and blessings
and in the midst of your world
we stand together
and call out to You
on this 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.
grateful
for the life that You have given us.

God of all that is
from generation to generation
we offer You our prayers.

Blessed are You
God of all that is
who queerly brought forth stars and worlds,
and placed us in the midst of them.

For you have said to us through one of Your ancient prophets:
My house
Shall be a house of prayer
For all peoples
ISAIAH 56:7

And so we stand
together in this earthly house
moving into silence
awesome and holy
hoping
to find You.
Amen.

Excerpted from SiddurLit. Order of prayers. The prayer book. Sha’ar Zahav. Copyright © 2009, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco, CA, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. http://shaarzahav.org.