A Prayer for the Ukraine and its People

 

PRAYER FOR UKRAINE

Eternal One, Rock of our Existence, the Source and Sustainer of Life, as President Putin wages war on Ukraine, and the forces of autocracy wreak havoc, and attempt to instil terror and fear in every heart, we call on You to give strength to the people of Ukraine. Help them to muster the courage and the fortitude to withstand the onslaught. Let them also be strengthened by the knowledge that democratic nations across the world stand in solidarity with them, and will do everything necessary to support their efforts to resist the imposition of tyranny.

Meanwhile, as we, like ordinary people everywhere, witness the horror, and feel helpless and hopeless in the face of overwhelming events beyond our control, may You enable us to understand that we are not powerless to help. Our deeds, however small, matter. And above all, knowing that despair is the dearest friend of tyrants, we have the obligation to hope,  and to demonstrate our constant fidelity to the enduring values of peace and freedom, equality and justice. May this be our will.

 

And let us say: Amen.

Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah

February 2022 / Adar I 5782

 

PREGHIERA PER L'UCRAINA

 

Eterno, Roccia della nostra Esistenza, Fonte e Sostenitore della Vita, mentre il Presidente Putin muove guerra all'Ucraina, e le forze dell'autocrazia scatenano il caos, e tentano di instillare il terrore e la paura in ogni cuore, Ti chiediamo di dare forza al popolo dell'Ucraina. Aiutalo a trovare il coraggio e la forza di resistere all'assalto. Fa' che siano anche rafforzati dalla consapevolezza che le nazioni democratiche di tutto il mondo sono solidali con loro e faranno tutto il necessario per sostenere i loro sforzi per resistere all'imposizione della tirannia.

 

Nel frattempo, mentre noi, come la gente comune ovunque, siamo testimoni dell'orrore e ci sentiamo impotenti e senza speranza di fronte a eventi schiaccianti che sfuggono al nostro controllo, possa Tu permetterci di capire che non siamo impotenti ad aiutare. Le nostre azioni, per quanto piccole, contano. E soprattutto, sapendo che la disperazione è la più cara amica dei tiranni, abbiamo l'obbligo di sperare, e di dimostrare la nostra costante fedeltà ai valori duraturi di pace e libertà, uguaglianza e giustizia.

 

Che questa sia la nostra volontà. 

E diciamo: Amen.

 

Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah

Rabbina Emerita, Brighton & Hove Progressive Synagogue 

February 2022 / Adar I 5782

When someone you love is suffering

Posted this week on the LJ website as the Thought for the Week, I try to express something as my sisters and I try to support our mother through the most difficult days:

When someone you love is suffering, and there seems to be little hope, what can you do? The Psalmist says, "Call upon Me in time of trouble; I will rescue you" (e.g. Psalm 50:15). Dear God, I say, please don't let her die. And she does not die. I thank God. But then the next time I pray, dear God, please don't let him die. And he dies. These are the most sincere prayers I've ever prayed, but the outcome is unreliable. Yet, in a time of utmost distress, my instinct is to ask God for help.

What does it mean to pray? I think that we grow up believing that it is like making a wish. We ask God for the things we want. As if God were a fairy GODparent, or a genie. It is the way of a child. But when things are desperate, we become very childlike. We feel utterly powerless, and cry out for a superhero or a parent to swoop down and make it all better. We don't know what to do.

One of the hardest realities to accept is that there are things that we cannot do. Scientifically, in the physical world we cannot prove that anything is impossible, it is just not possible currently. There always remains the hope that one day, someone, somewhere will figure it out. Meanwhile, we just find a working hypothesis, a quotidian path that is universally accessible. For the Jewish community, that route is the mitzvot, a set of guidelines for our relationship with the world around us, and the people we meet on our journey.

Our parasha, Ki Tetze, contains the largest number of commandments in one portion. There are 72 mitzvot (according to Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvot. Other sources say 74) listed this week, laws relating mainly to family relationships and interpersonal ethics, for example, blended families, labour laws and honest business procedures. It says almost nothing about what God will do for us, and focuses on what we humans must do in order to make the best of our lives on this earth. These laws suggest practical ways to deal with everyday situations. There are some that may not make sense, such as forbidding cloth containing wool and linen (shatnez, Deut. 22:11), or stoning a rebellious child to death (Deut. 21:21). As Progressive Jews, we consider these verses a challenge to stretch our minds and hearts in the search for a deeper meaning. We try to understand what doesn't seem relevant, we take on the tasks we believe we can achieve, and we continue along the way.

If what we can manage is in our own hands, why then do we pray? Tradition teaches that prayer is a mitzvah, although it is unclear if this is a biblical or a rabbinical injunction. Once again, it is something practical that we may do. From a rational perspective, if God exists, surely God knows what is in our hearts. So what's the point of saying it? Perhaps God knows, but do we? What have we hidden in the crevices, fearing it may overwhelm us? What do we need to reveal, if we may hope for shalom, to be whole? Surely we pray for ourselves, to release the deepest thoughts and feelings of our souls, to make them concrete, and tangible.

But I prayed that he would not die, yet he did. And now I pray again for her to live. Why am I asking you this, God? Why do I continue to pray?

In the Tanya (chapter 19), Rabbi Schneur Zalman says that faith is not something to be attained. It is part of our essence, woven into the very fabric of the soul. He teaches that faith waits only to be revealed. I've always found this difficult to understand. Today, as I pray for my loved one, I see a possibility. In those moments when desperation fills the heart, there is neither space nor energy for sophisticated thought processes. Logic and philosophy and reason have no power. Could it be, in that exact moment, that the instinct to pray is a taste of revelation?

As Moses prayed for his sister Miriam (Deut. 24:9)

El na refa na la (Num. 12:13)

so do we pray for all who need healing.
Keyn yehi ratson - May such be the Divine will.

For Aviva bat Miriam v'David.

A Thought for the New Year

Jews throughout the world are preparing to observe and celebrate the festival of Rosh Hashana. It is a time when family members come together. It is a time when attendance at religious services increases. We read the old words and sing hymns old and new. It is, however, difficult for so many of us to feel that we are praying with sincerity. In response to this feeling, here are 2 quotes:

"How do I learn to pray? There is really only one answer: pray! Pray other people's prayers. You will appropriate them to yourself by using them and pouring your own personality into them. Do not wait until you 'feel like' praying, or until you know how to pray. You never will." (R. Steven S Schwarzschild)

"Prayer cannot mend a broken bridge, rebuild a ruined city, or bring water back to parched fields. But prayer can mend a broken heart, lift up a discouraged soul, and strengthen a weakened will." (Ferdinand M Isserman)

Wishing us all a year of health and fulfillment.
Shana Tova!

the meaning of prayer

rabbi jonathan romain writes in the times:

"While the English word “pray” comes from the Latin precare, meaning to address, to implore - talking to someone, God - the Hebrew word for prayer comes from a term meaning “to judge oneself”. So rather than just looking outwards, Jewish prayer is also focused inwards, and prayer is a matter of self-examination; not only asking God for this or that, but checking up on ourselves in God's presence, whether we are behaving properly and heading in the right direction. It is an important distinction, because it means there is much less expectation of God answering our prayers, and appearing to fail if expectations are not realised. Instead we are asking ourselves to live up to ethical values, and it is then we who succeed or fail, depending on how committed or strong-willed we are.""

the hebrew root p-l-l means to sort, or to put into order. our word for to pray is l'hit-pa-lel. this is the reflexive of that root, i.e., to sort one's self out. isn't that an incredible meaning?! so often in the english-speaking world, we get stuck with the xian interpretation of religious words, without even realising it. we are not imploring. it's not about asking god to do magic, and then getting pissed off when it doesn't work. (ok, that sounds like an awful put-down, and i know many xians who do not see it as that. am not talking about them, am talking about myself) it is about finding the strength to do the best we can ourselves, and the faith to cope when things do not work out as we would have wished. thanks, jonathan, for reminding me :-)

read more here