Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=58273
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft licenseDate: 2024-10-17
Last Updated: 2025-03-24
Categories: Mourning, Terror
Tags: 2014 Gush Etzion kidnapping and murder, 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., civilian non-combatants
Excerpt: This prayer in lament for three Jewish youths taken captive and killed by Hamas in 2014, was written by Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum and published by the Masorti Movement in Israel through their Facebook page on 4 July 2014. English translation by Shoshana Michael Zucker. . . .
Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
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”גַּם כִּי אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת
לֹא אִירָא רָע כִּי אַתָּה עִמָּדִי“ (תהלים כג:ד) |
“Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness,
I fear no harm, for You are with me.” (Psalms 23:4) |
כִּי אִתְּךָ אֲיַחֵל לִשְׁלֹשָׁה נְעָרִים
אִתְּךָ אֲבַקֵּשׁ חַיֵּיהֶם, חֲלוֹמָם אִתְּךָ אֶשְׁתָּאֶה מֵהוֹרִים שֶׁשְּׂפָתָם וִידֵיהֶם אֱמוּנָה אִתְּךָ אֶתְחַנֵּן שֶׁיִּגְדַּל נָא כֹּחַ הַחֶסֶד בָּאָרֶץ |
Because with You I awaited the three youths
With You I will plead for their lives, their dreams With You, I am amazed by parents whose speech and deeds are faithful With You I beg to increase the power of love in our land |
וְאִתְּךָ אֶקְרַע בְּנַפְשִׁי כְּשֶׁאֶשְׁמַע שֶׁאֵינָם עוֹד
אִתְּךָ אֲקוֹנֵן עַל אַחִים שֶׁלֹּא יְשׁוּבוּן אִתְּךָ אֶבְכֶּה אֶת חֻרְבָּן הָאָדָם שֶׁנָּטַל אֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אִתְּךָ אֶחֱרַד מֵרִשְׁעָה אֲפֵלָה בּוֹ. |
And with You I will rip my soul when I hear they are no more
With You I will lament three brothers who will not return With You I will bewail the destructive one who took their life With You I will tremble before the darkest evil in him. |
וְאִתְּךָ אָז אַצִּיל אֶת נַפְשִׁי שֶׁאֶרְחַק מִנָּקָם וּמִדָּם
אִתְּךָ אֶתְאַפַּק לְבַל יִמָּחֶה קֹדֶשׁ בִּי. אִתְּךָ אֶשְׁמַע צַעֲקַת יְלָדִים הָעוֹלָה מִן הָאָרֶץ בֵּין שִׁבְרֵי אֱנוֹשׁוּת וְעַמִּים וְרָעוֹת-חֲשֵׁכוֹת. |
And then, with You I will save my soul, distancing from vengeance and blood.
With You I will show restraint lest the holiness in me be lost. With You I will hear the children’s cry emerging from the earth Between the fragments of humanity and nations and evil-darkness. |
וְאִתְּךָ אֶתְפַּלֵּל
שֶׁאָשׁוּב לֶאֱסֹף אֶת רוּחִי שֶׁאָשׁוּב לְהַאֲמִין בָּאָדָם שֶׁאָשׁוּב לִשְׁמֹעַ כָּל קוֹל וּבְכִיָּה קוֹל אָדָם בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם. |
And with You I will pray
That I will again gather my spirit That I will again believe in humanity That I will again hear every voice and wailing The voice of each person wherever they are. |
כִּי אַתָּה,
שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתָּ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר זַעֲקַת תְּמִימִים תֵּן בִּי כֹּחַ שֶׁלֹּא אֶתְיָאֵשׁ וְאָקוּם לְפָנֶיךָ לִשְׁאֹג: הֲרֵינִי מְקַבֵּל/ת עָלַי עֹל מַלְכוּת חַיִּים שְׂפַת חֶסֶד וְשָׁלוֹם וְאַהֲבַת אָדָם. תֵּן בִּי כֹּחַ שֶׁלֹּא תָּמוּת נַפְשִׁי כִּי תִּחְיֶה, וְתִרְאֶה אוֹר-עוֹלָם הַמַּפְצִיעַ קִמְעָה. |
Because You
Who have heard the screams of the innocent in every generation Grant me the strength not to despair so that I can proclaim: Behold, I take upon myself the yoke of the kingdom of life A language of compassion and peace and love of humanity. Grant me the strength that my soul not die but live, And perceive the eternal light as it gradually bursts forth. |
עוֹד אֶבְנֶה, אֱלֹהַי,
בַּיִת, חַיִּים וְעוֹלָם וְאוֹרְךָ לִי יַהֵל אֶת הַדֶּרֶךְ עוֹד קוֹמַת הָאָדָם הַשְּׁלֵמָה תִּגָּלֵה לֹא אֲפַחֵד. לֹא אִירָא. לֹא אֶסּוֹג, שֶׁאַתָּה עִמָּדִי. |
I shall still build, my God
A home, life, world And your light shall illuminate the path Until the fullness of humanity is revealed I shall not fear. I will not be frightened. I shall not retreat, because You are with me. |
וְחַיִּים וּקְדֻשָּׁה וַעֲדִינוּת שֶׁנָּטַעְתָּ
בְּכָל הָאָדָם, בְּכָל עַם וְלָשׁוֹן וּבְכָל יְצוּרֵי עוֹלָמִים, הֵמָּה יְנַחֲמֻנִי. |
Life and holiness, and delicacy that You implanted
In every human, every people and nation And all the world’s creation, They will comfort me. |
This prayer in lament for three Jewish youths taken captive and killed by Hamas in 2014, was written by Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum and published by the Masorti Movement in Israel through their Facebook page on 4 July 2014. English translation by Shoshana Michael Zucker. (Thank you.)
Contributor: Shoshana Michael Zucker (translation)
Co-authors:
Featured Image:
Title: Mothers of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel (Israel at the UN-Geneva)
Caption: Mothers of Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Fraenkel (credit: Israel at the UN-Geneva)