In the run-up to the upcoming Hanukkah holiday, I was asked by my good friend Smadar Bar-Akiva, the director of JCC Global, to write a blessing to Jewish communities around the world in which the enlightened values of Judaism, social cohesion and the unique contribution of the people of Israel to human society in all countries will be expressed.
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Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
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נְבָרֵךְ אֶת קְהִילוֹת הָעָם הַיְּהוּדִי, בַּאֲשֶׁר הֵן בְּכׇל קַצְווֹת תֵּבֵל, הַמְּהַווֹת חוּלְיָה נוֹסֶפֶת בְּשַׁרְשֶׁרֶת הַדּוֹרוֹת הַמְּפוֹאֶרֶת שֶׁל עַם־עוֹלָם, עַם־הַנֶּצַח. |
Let us bless the communities of the Jewish people, wherever they are all around the world, each one of them another link in the eternal people’s glorious chain across the generations. |
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁכׇּל קְהִלָּה וּקְהִלָּה תְּשַׂגְשֵׂג בְּחַיֶּיהָ הָרוּחָנִיִּים וְהַחֶבְרָתִיִּים לְפִי אוֹפְיָהּ הַיִּחוּדִי וּתְפִיסַת עוֹלָמָהּ. |
We pray that each community will flourish in its spiritual life and in its social life, according to its Jewish nature and its own world view. |
כׇּל אַחַת מֵהֶן תּוֹסִיף מֵאוֹרָהּ לָעָם הַיְּהוּדִי וְלִמְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכׇל אַחַת מֵהֶן תִּזְכֶּה לְהַכָּרָה וּלְהוֹקָרָה מִיֶּתֶר הַקְּהִלּוֹת וּמִמְּדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל. |
May each community bestow a ray of its own light to the Jewish people and to the state of Israel; may each earn recognition and esteem from the state of Israel and from its fellow communities. |
לָעַד יִהְיוּ שַׁעֲרֵי מְדִינַת הַיְּהוּדִים, הַדֵּמוֹקְרָטִית וְהַשִּׁוְיוֹנִית, פְּתוּחִים בִּפְנֵי כׇּל בְּנוֹת וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמַּאֲמִינִים בַּחֲשִׁיבוּת קִיּוּמָהּ לָעָם הַיְּהוּדִי. |
The gates of the Jewish, democratic and egalitarian state will stand forever open for all the children of Israel who believe in the importance of its existence for the Jewish people. |
נִישָׂא תְּפִלָּה שֶׁכׇּל קְהִלָּה תִּזְכֶּה לְיַחַס הוֹגֵן מִצַּד מֶמְשַׁלְתָּהּ וְתֵהָנֶה מִשָּׁלוֹם וּמִבִּיטָחוֹן עִם שְׁכֵנֶיהָ. |
We pray that every community will receive fair treatment from its government and enjoy peace and security with its neighbors. |
מִי יִתֵּן שֶׁכָּל קְהִלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל יִזְכּוּ לִתְרֹם אֶת חֶלְקָן לְרִפּוּי הָעוֹלָם, לְהַגְבָּרַת הַשָּׁלוֹם וּלְחִזּוּק הַחֶבְרָה בִּמְדִינוֹת מְגוּרֵיהֶן. |
May all Jewish communities succeed in making their contribution to healing the world, to increasing peace, and to strengthening the fabric of society in the countries in which they dwell. |
וְיִתְקַיְּמוּ בָּהֶן וּבְעַם יִשְׂרָאֵל כֻּלּוֹ מִקְרָאוֹת כְּתוּבִים וְדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ: מַה טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב, (במדבר כד:ה) |
May they and all the Jewish people embody what is written in Scripture and in the teachings of our sages: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! (Numbers 24:5 part) |
יֶעֲשׂוּ כֻּלָּם אֲגֻדָּה אֶחָת, יַחַד שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. כׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַרְבִים זֶה בָּזֶה (שבועות מ״ב ב) וְכׇל יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲבֵרִים, וְנֹאמַר: אָמֵן! |
May they all join in one assembly, the tribes of Israel as one, all Israel responsible for one another, (Shevuot 39a:22) all Israel tied in friendship, and let us say Amen! |
The “Blessing for the Eternal People” was written by יעקב מעוז, תשרי תשפ”א | Yaacov Maoz, Tishri 5781.
“ברכה לעם עולם | Blessing for the Eternal People, by Yaacov Maoz (5781/2020)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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