תפילה לזמן מלחמה | Prayer for Israel in Time of War, by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman

Contributor(s):

Reuven Kimelman

Shared on:

8 November 2023 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Medinat Yisra'el (the State of Israel), War

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Needing Vocalization

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אלהינו ואלהי אבותינו. גלוי וידוע לפני כסא כבודך שעם ישראל הוא עם אחד עם לב אחד, והיום, הלב נשבר. עם החדשות העגומות של אחינו שנהרגו, שנפגעו, ושנשבו, אנו פונים אליך.	Eloheinu v’Elohei Avoteinu, Our God and God of our ancestors. You know that the Jewish people are one nation with one heart, and today that heart is broken. With the grim news of so many of our sisters and brothers in Israel killed, wounded, and kidnapped, we turn to You.
הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לְעַצְּבוֹתָם (תהלים קמז:ג) היה נא עם אחינו ואחיותינו שנשבו ועם משפחות הקורבנות. הגן על השבויים, פתח חרצובותם, והוציאם מאפלה לאורה. לִקְרֹא לִשְׁבוּיִם דְּרוֹר וְלַאֲסוּרִים פְּקַח־קוֹחַ (ישעיה ס:א) נחם משפחות הנרצחים יסתירם בסתר כנפיך. שלח רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף.	Harofeh Lishvurei Lev, “O healer of broken hearts, binder of their wounds” (Psalms 147:3) be with our brothers and sisters who have been taken captive and with the families of the victims. Watch over the hostages, break their bonds, and bring them out from darkness to light. “Proclaim release to the captives; liberation to the imprisoned” (Isaiah 61:1) Comfort the families of all those murdered bring them under the shelter of Your wings. Bring complete healing of body and spirit to all of the wounded, bind up our wounds and grant us healing.
צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, וּפְרֹשׁ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ, וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ. חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ, וְהַנְחִילֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְשׁוּעָה וַעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן תְּעַטְּרֵם, וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ.	Tsur Yisrael v’Go’alo, Rock and Redeemer of the people Israel, bless the State of Israel, the initial manifestation of our redemption. Shield it with Your care; spread over it Your shelter of peace. Guide its leaders and advisors with Your light and Your truth; grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land; crown their efforts with victory. Bless the land with peace; its inhabitants with lasting joy.
שׁוֹמֵר יִשְׂרָאֵל שמור והצל את חילינו מכל צרה וצוקה הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ: בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, בָּאֲוִיר, וּבַיָּם ושלח ברכה והצלחה בכל מעשי ידיהם נְקוֹם לְעֵינֵֽינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם־עֲבָדֶֽיךָ ויקוים בנו הבטחת התהילה: הָפַכְתָּ מִסְפְּדִי לְמָחוֹל לִי פִּתַּחְתָּ שַׂקִּי וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי שִׂמְחָה. (תהלים ל:יב)	Shomer Yisrael, Guardian of Israel, strengthen and bless the defenders of Israel who stand guard over our land: on the land, in the air, and on the sea. Deliver their murderers into their hands. Avenge before our eyes the blood of Your servants.^[1] From the prayer, Avinu Malkeinu. May we see the promise of the Psalmist: “You turned my mourning into dancing… my sackcloth into robes of joy” (Psalms 30:12)
אלהים, הגן, שמור, והשב את השלום והשלמות לעמך ישראל. עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן	God, protect, preserve, and restore peace and well-being to Israel Your people. Oseh Shalom bimromav (May the One who grants peace up above) hu ya’aseh Shalom aleinu (grant peace to us) v’al kol Yisrael (and to all of Israel)^[2] From the Ḳaddish v’imru Amen (and say: Amen)

Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman notes his prayer for Israel in wartime is “refashioned from material online, especially that of Rabbi Ahud Sela.” The English version previously appeared in the article “For this unprecedented time of war and grief, new prayers for those held captive by Hamas” by Aviya Kushner (The Forward, 3 November 2023). The article notes the prayer “[acknowledges] that men, women and children are all among the abducted” and that it “expressly asks [God to] ‘comfort the families of all those murdered.'”

Notes[+]

Notes
1	From the prayer, Avinu Malkeinu.
2	From the Ḳaddish

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“תפילה לזמן מלחמה | Prayer for Israel in Time of War, by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Kimelman” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Reuven Kimelman

Rabbi Reuven Kimelman is a professor of Classical Judaica at Brandeis University and rabbi of Beth Abraham New England Sephardic Congregation of New England. His forthcoming book is The Rhetoric of Jewish Prayer: A Historical and Literary Commentary on the Daily Prayer Book. His other book is The Mystical Meaning of ‘Lekhah Dodi’ and ‘Kabbalat Shabbat’.

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בָּתֵּי תּוֹסֶפֶת לְ”אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ“ לְמִלְחֶמֶת ”חַרְבוֹת בַּרְזֶל“‏ | Additional Stanzas of ‘Avinu Malkeinu’ for the Ḥarvot Barzel War, by Yael Levine

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "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