תפילת הודיה לשוב החטופים שמחת תורה תשפ״ו | A Prayer of Thanks on the Return of the Hostages on Simḥat Torah 5786 (Masorti Movement in Israel 2025)

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15 October 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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2023-2025 Israel–Hamas war, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Religious Zionism

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
הֹדוּ לַה׳ כִּי־טוֹב, כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ. יֹאמְרוּ גְּאוּלֵי ה׳ אֲשֶׁר גְּאָלָם מִיַּד־צָר… (תהלים קז:א-ב) יֹשְׁבֵי חֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת, אֲסִירֵי עֳנִ֮י וּבַרְזֶל… (תהלים קז:י) יוֹדוּ לַה׳ חַסְדּוֹ וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם, וִירוֹמְמוּהוּ בִּקְהַל־עָם (תהלים קז:לא-לב).	“Give thanks to the Lord, who is good, whose mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say, whom God has redeemed from the hand of the adversary… (Psalms 107:1-2) who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron… (Psalms 107:10) Let them give thanks for God’s mercy and for God’s wonderful works to humankind; Let them exalt God in the assembly of the people.” (Psalms 107:31-32)
אֲדוֹן הַשָּׁלוֹם וְרַחוּם וְחַנּוּן, נוֹדֶה בְּרֹב עָם וּבְעֵדָה גְּדוֹלָה, עַל גֹּדֶל חַסְדֶּךָ אֲשֶׁר גָּאַלְתָּ לָנוּ אֶת בָּנֵינוּ וּבְנוֹתֵינוּ מִשְּׁבִי הָאֹיֵב שֶׁכָּתוּב: ”יוֹצִיאֵם מֵחֹשֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָוֶת וּמוֹסְרוֹתֵיהֶם יְנַתֵּק“ (תהלים קז:יד).	Master of Peace, gracious and full of compassion, we give thanks for the greatness of Your mercy, for You have redeemed our sons and our daughters from the captivity of the enemy, as it is written: “God brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bands asunder.” (Psalms 107:14)
וְנוֹדֶה לְפָנֶיךָ, ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, עַל שֶׁנָּתַתָּ תְּבוּנָה, אֹמֶץ וּנְחִישׁוּת בְּקֶרֶב בְּרוּאֶיךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּכֹחַ אֱנוֹשׁ לְהָשִׁיב בָּנֵינוּ וּבְנוֹתֵינוּ אֶל מִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶם, וְאֶת הַחֲלָלִים לְהָבִיא לִמְנוּחַת עוֹלָמִים, כְּדִבְרֵי נְבִיאֶךָ: “ה׳ אֱלֹהִים שְׁלָחַנִי לַחֲבֹשׁ לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי־לֵב לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרוֹר וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח־קוֹחַ … לְנַחֵם כָּל־אֲבֵלִים” (ישעיה סא:א-ב).	We give thanks to You, O Lord our God, for You have bestowed wisdom and courage and steadfastness upon Your creatures, enabling the work of human hands to restore our sons and daughters to their families and to bring the fallen to eternal rest, as Your prophet said: “The Lord our God has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned… to comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
רַחֵם נָא עַל שְׁבוּיֵנוּ שֶׁחָזְרוּ לְבֵיתָם, וּרְפָא אֶת גוּפָם וְנַפְשָׁם מִמְּאֵרַת הַשֶּׁבִי וּמִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת. קַיֵּם בָּהֶם אֶת דִּבְרֵי קָדְשֶׁךָ: ”ה׳, הֶעֱלִיתָ מִן־שְׁאוֹל נַפְשִׁי, חִיִּיתַנִי מִיָּרְדִי־בוֹר“ (תהלים ל:ד). ”לֹא־תִירָא מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה, מֵחֵץ יָעוּף יוֹמָם“ (תהלים צא:ה), ”וְלֹא־תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה“ (תהלים צא:י).	Have mercy upon those captives who have returned to their homes. Heal their bodies and their souls from the blight of captivity and from the terrors of the night. “O Lord, You have brought up my soul from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I not descend to the pit… (Psalms 30:4) You shall not fear terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day… (Psalms 91:5) No harm shall befall you.” (Psalms 91:10)
וְתֵן בִּבְנֵי מִשְׁפְּחוֹתֵיהֶם הַכֹּחַ לְקַבֵּל, לְאַחוֹת, לְהַשְׁלִים וּלְהַחְלִים – ”הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לְעַצְבוֹתָם“ (תהלים קמז:ג).	Grant their families the strength to receive, to bind up, to make whole, and to be healed – “for You are God who heals the broken in heart and binds up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3)
עֲנֵנוּ ה׳ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ גַּם עַל אֵלֶּה שֶׁלֹּא שָׁבוּ חַיִּים לִגְבוּלֵנוּ. תֵּן בְּיָדֵינוּ לַהֲשִׁיבָם לַאֲדָמָה בְּכָבוֹד, וּלְמַלֵּא אֶת חוֹבָתֵנוּ בְּאַהֲבָה, בְּדִמְעָה וּבְלֵב שָׁבוּר, כִּי אֵין דָּבָר שָׁלֵם יוֹתֵר מִלֵּב שָׁבוּר.	Answer us, O Lord, in Your compassion, also for those who have not returned alive to our borders. Place within our hands the ability to bring them to burial in honor, and to fulfil our sacred duty with love, with tears, and with broken hearts; for there is nothing more whole than a broken heart.
וִיהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיִּוָּדַע בִּמְהֵרָה גּוֹרַל הַנֶּעְדָּרִים, וְיִתְקַיֵּם בָּנוּ מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב: “וְלֹא נֶעְדַּר־לָהֶם מִן־הַקָּטֹן וְעַד־הַגָּדוֹל וְעַד־בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת” (שמואל א׳ ל:יט).	May it be Your will that the fate of the missing be made known speedily, and may it be fulfilled in us as it is written: “There was none missing, from small to great, neither sons nor daughters.” (I Samuel 30:19)
וּלְאַחֵינוּ וְאַחְיוֹתֵינוּ בְּכָל גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִמִּישׁוֹרֵי הַנֶּגֶב וְעַד מְרוֹמֵי הַגָּלִיל, אֲשֶׁר הַיּוֹם עַיִן בְּמַר בּוֹכָה וְלֵב שָׂמֵחַ, יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁיִּתְקַיְּמוּ בָּכֶם וּבָנוּ דִּבְרֵי נְבִיאֶךָ: “וּבָנוּ חָרְבוֹת עוֹלָם, שֹׁמְמוֹת רִאשֹׁנִים יְקוֹמֵמוּ” (ישעיה סא:ד).	And for our brothers and sisters throughout the Land of Israel, from the Negev plain to the hills of Galilee, whose eyes weep even as their hearts rejoice, may it be Your will that the word of Your prophet be fulfilled among them and us: “They shall build the ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations.” (Isaiah 61:4)
אֱלֹהֵינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, הַשְׁכֵּן שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְאַחֲוָה בֵּין בָּנֶיךָ. חַזֵּק אֶת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּאֱמוּנָה וּבְתִקְוָה, וְהָשֵׁב שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה לְצִיּוֹן.	Our God in heaven, cause peace to dwell upon the earth and fellowship among Your children. Strengthen Your people Israel in faith and in hope, and cause joy and gladness to return to Ẓion.
וְנֹאמַר לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם בְּתוֹדָה יַחְדָּיו בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל:	Let us say before You this day, in thanksgiving, together with one great voice:
בָּרוּךְ מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים. אמן	Blessed are You, who releases the captives. Amen
בָּרוּךְ הַמֵּשִׁיב בָּנִים לִגְבוּלָם. אמן	Blessed are You, who restores children to their border. Amen
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳, הַטּוֹב וְהַמֵּטִיב. אמן	Blessed are You, Lord, who is Good and does good. Amen
בָּרוּךְ דַּיַּן הָאֱמֶת, אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ אֶת־הַחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַמֵּתִים. אמן	Blessed are You, the True Judge, whose mercy forsakes neither the living nor the dead. Amen
בָּרוּךְ שֶׁחָלַק מֵחָכְמָתוֹ לְבָשָׂר וָדָם. אמן	Blessed are You, who have shared of Your wisdom with flesh and blood. Amen
בָּרוּךְ מַצִּיב גְּבוּל אַלְמָנָה. אמן	Blessed are You, who sets the boundary of the widow. Amen
בָּרוּךְ הַמְרַפֵּא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב וְשָׂם שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ. אָמֵן.	Blessed are You, who heals the broken in heart and makes peace upon the earth. Amen.

“תפילת הודיה לשוב החטופים (A prayer of thanks on return of the hostages)” was written and translated by Ze’ev Kainan on behalf of the Masorti Movement in Israel and Knesset haRabanim b’Yisrael, and shared by email and social media on 13 October 2025, erev Shemini Atseret, on the day of the return of the remaining living hostages taken captive by HAMA”S two years prior. Comparing the Hebrew with the English translation, there were several minor differences with text in one not appearing in the other. These differences are all resolved in the presentation here.

Source(s)

Prayer of Thanks on the Return of the Hostages, Simhat Torah 5786 (Masorti Movement in Israel 2025)

Prayer of Thanks on the Return of the Hostages, Simhat Torah 5786 (Masorti Movement in Israel 2025) – english translation

Ze'ev Kainan

Ze'ev Kainan is the CEO of Mosad Bialik Publishing House. Ze'ev was the CEO of Keren Malki - an Israeli nonprofit organization that assists families of children with special needs, and the director of education and special projects at Tikvatenu Centers network. Ze'ev worked for years with youth and was a delegate to the Ramah camps (California, Canada, Poconos, and the Ramah Seminar in Israel) as well as other JCC camps. From 1997 to 2000, he served as a central emissary for the USY movement in North America, on behalf of the Jewish Agency. He later served as the director of the youth movement of the Masorti Movement in Israel for seven years and is also the editor of the siddur va'Ani Tefillati - Siddur Yisraeli and the Poteach Sha'ar Machzor for the High Holidays of the Masorti Movement. Ze'ev was born and raised in the religious kibbutz of Sa'ad in the northern Negev, three kilometers east of Gaza City and now lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Dr. Lisa Kainan and their three children - all graduates of Noam.

Knesset haRabanim b'Yisrael

The Knesset haRabanim b'Yisrael (Rabbinical Assembly in Israel) is the central body of Masorti-affiliated rabbis in the State of Israel. It is closely associated with the Masorti Movement for Conservative Judaism in Israel, and the international Rabbinical Assembly.

the Masorti Movement in Israel

HaTenu'ah haMasortit (התנועה המסורתית, the Masorti Movement in Israel) creates opportunities for all Jews to live Jewish lives in Israel unhindered, and on their own terms. It is a religious movement based on values of inclusion combined with traditional practice and Halakha (Jewish Law). Masorti represents a “third” way. Not secular Judaism. Not ultra-Orthodoxy. But a Jewish life that integrates secular beliefs. Halakhah with inclusion and egalitarianism. Tradition that recognizes the realities of today’s world. The Masorti Movement is committed to a pluralistic, egalitarian, and democratic vision of Zionism. Masorti engages tens of thousands of Israelis each year, young and old, native born as well as olim from around the globe.

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)