We are living in tremendously challenging times, where every day and every headline brings difficult news. Reconstructing Judaism has recently issued a statement and offered pastoral words. This past weekend was full of an unrelenting number of events, each of them overwhelming in their own right: the onset of war between Israel and Iran in addition to the ongoing plight of the hostages, and continuing battles and humanitarian crisis in Gaza; the assassinations in the Twin Cities; the military parade in the U.S. Capitol and the No Kings and other demonstrations. Most of them will continue to evolve, with new facts and new developments. As an organization that is predominantly religious and cultural, we offer prayers at this time — for effective diplomacy and peace in the Middle East; for comfort of the family and friends of Representative Melissa and Mark Hortman; for refuah shleimah/ healing of body and spirit to State Senator John and Yvette Hoffman; for the safety and well-being of all our dear ones—in Israel and wherever they live; for a meaningful and peaceful celebration of Juneteenth. At this moment of disruption and destruction, we offer a prayer for groundedness and grace.
המקום Hamakom, the One who comforts mourners, be with us in these days of pain and worry. As our hearts tremble, bolster us in strength and empathy and in our understanding of their unbreakable intertwining.
המקום Hamakom, the God who creates and transcends space, encourage us in finding a quiet place to settle our nervous systems and discern what is most important to us.
המקום Hamakom, the Omnipresent, help us to see the vastness of the universe and the beauty of each of its details. Support us in holding the world’s multiplicities and complexities, even in the face of rising extremism and burning conflict.
המקום Hamakom, our Refuge, aid us in navigating the dance between stillness and action, tikkun nefesh/repair of self and tikkun olam/repair of the world, humility and agency, and discovering what we can contribute at each moment.
המקום Hamakom, God of capaciousness, give us the expansiveness to hold our dear ones ever closer and to work toward peace and equity on behalf of people we will never meet.
עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵיֽנוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל
Oseh shalom bimromav hu ya’aseh shalom aleyn ve’al kol yisrael ve’al kol yoshvei teiveil.
May the One who makes peace in the highest heaven help us to make peace for all Israel and for all the inhabitants of the world.
