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Courage to Withstand the Ridicule of the Worldly
Suggested by Psalms 4 |
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O God,
when I strive to live in accord with your will, to deal honestly, to act kindly, to pursue justice and peace, I find but few to hearten me. |
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Many are they
who deride me and mock my ways. |
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Grant me, O YHVH,
the strength to resist the swirling eddy of worldly ambition that would suck me into the vortex of envy, struggle, and hate. |
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Give me the courage
to withstand the derision of those who sneer at virtue, lest my spirit be cowed. |
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To those who,
in their unbridled greed, take joy in hoarding riches and wielding dominion I would retort: O, ye fools, in vain ye seek to slake your thirst for wealth and power. |
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Your discontent must grow with each new draft.
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All your scheming
and all your lying will bring you naught but failure. |
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You will yearn in vain
for a moment of inner peace and for a sign of God’s approval. |
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Not such is my lot;
though my means be slender, and they who befriend me few, yet my cup overflows with happiness. |
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The zest I have in life
all your wealth can never yield. |
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Peacefully I lay me down at night to sleep,
in calm reliance on God’s blessed love. |
“Courage to Withstand the Ridicule of the Worldly,” by Rabbi Mordecai Menaḥem Kaplan can be found on p. 433-4 of his The Sabbath Prayer Book (New York: The Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation, 1945). I have adapted the original text of this prayer, replacing “thy” with ‘your’ and “Lord” with ‘YHVH’. –Aharon N. Varady
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