Unbinding the Akeidah: A Rosh Hashanah Prayer for Survivors of Trauma and Abuse

Here we stand,
Daughters and sons of Abraham.
But are we bound to the same grave fate?
Hands tied and face to face with our parent’s blade?
With only the angels and our own blind obedience to save us from demise.
We were so young and unknowing at the time.
Oh, G-d of wounded children, custodian of the anguished’s cries.
Shelter us.
Assure us.
That there is no leap of faith, let alone no gesture of loyalty so great that it outweighs the sting of our tears and the recognition of our pain.
Allow us to find a better meaning, a fuller meaning of Torah’s words in which children are not only seen but heard.
And as we seek meaning from our tradition, may we release the binds of old stories, redeeming Isaac and redeeming ourselves.
Amen.