Keep the lights eternally burning in Eretz Yisrael

by Rabbi Debra Smith

Dear friends,

Chag Urim Sameach! Happy Hanukkah!

The joy of Hanukkah and the brightness of the lights has been dimmed in my household because of the War in Israel. My heart is heavy for the victims of such horrific violence. This week in my blog, I offer this prayer which speaks the words of my heart.

Creator of Life:
We reach to You
As rivers of blood run in the streets
Of Eretz Yisrael and Gaza.

We pray for all your children, young and old alike.
Let the babies rest peacefully in their mothers arms.
Let the innocent little ones play in streets and fields
Where flowers push their faces toward the sun
Where bullets and rockets do not fall as rain and rivers of blood do not flow.

Let the youth be safe in schools mingling on street corners.
Let the parents work and travel and safety.
Let the elders enjoy your memories in tranquility
Protected by the shelter of your embrace.

We pray for the hostages and their families.
They live in a tortured state of unknowing
For what the present and future will bring.
We pray it will bring the hope of life and freedom
Not one minute more of pain, suffering and despair.

Source of All Life:
Let us see our world
Through a lens of compassion and caring for all.
Peering into the faces of others, let us see ourselves:
A reflected vision of shalom, salaam, shleimut, (completeness), and peace.

Chag Urim Sameach to you all! Let us pray to keep the lights of peace, hope and courage eternally burning in Eretz Yisrael.