Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” This translation also uses the plural pronoun They to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.) All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
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מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב, וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ שָׂרָה רִבְקָה רָחֵל וְלֵאָה, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וִיגַלֶּה כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ לָתֵת לָנוּ |
May the One who blessed
our forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and our foremothers Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah bless the State of Israel, and reveal the glory of THEIR reign over the land that THEY swore to our ancestors to give us. |
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אָנָּא יהוה,
יְהִי חַסְדֶּךָ עִם רָאשֵׁי הַמְּדִינָה, שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לִבְנוֹתָהּ וּלְבַסְּסָהּ בְּמִשְׁפָּט וּבְצֶדֶק מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם. תֵּן בְּלִבָּם וּבְלִבֵּנוּ אַהֲבַת אַחֵינוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהֵם, שָׁנֵּעָשֶׂה כֻּלָּנוּ אֲגֻדָּה אַחַת לָעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם. |
Please, o CAUSE,
may Your mercy be with the heads of state, that they merit to build it and base it in justice and righteousness from now and forevermore. Grant in their hearts and in our hearts the love of our siblings the house of Israel in all their places, that we may all be made a single unity to do Your will wholeheartedly. |
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יהוה צְבָאוֹת, אֵל אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל,
שְׁמֹר נָא עַל חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַצִּילֵם מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶגַע וּמַחֲלָה, וּשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂי יְדֵיהֶם׃ צֵאתָם לְשָׁלוֹם וּבוֹאָם לְבָתֵּיהֶם וּלְיַקִּירֵיהֶם לְחַיִּים וּלְשָׁלוֹם, וְשָׁבוּ כָּל שְׁבוּיֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנֶעְדָּרָיו לְחֵיק בֵּיתָם. |
O CAUSE of Forces, Deity, God of Israel,
guard — please — the soldiers of the Israel Defense Force and save them from all stress and strife and from all injury and illness, and send blessing and success in all the works of their hands. Take them out for peace and bring them in to their homes and loved ones for life and peace, and return all the captives of Israel and those missing to the lap of their homes. |
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אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם,
שִׂים שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְכָל יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, וְשָׁב יַעֲקֹב וְשָׁקַט וְשַׁאֲנַן וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד. וִיקֻיַּם בָּנוּ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְיָשְׁבוּ אִישׁ תַּחַת גַּפְנוֹ וְתַחַת תְּאֵנָתוֹ וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד כִּי־פִי יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת דִּבֵּר׃ (מיכה ד:ד) וּפְרֹשׂ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ עַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל אַרְצֶךָ. וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן, וְנֹאמַר: אָמֵן. |
Our Parent in Heaven,
grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to all its inhabitants, so Jacob will dwell quiet and sated with nothing to fear. And be fulfilled for us speedily in our days what the verse says: “And each will dwell under their vine and under their fig tree with nothing to fear, for the mouth of the CAUSE of Forces decreed.” (Micah 4:4) And spread the shelter of Your peace on all your Earth the land’s residents, and thus may it be willed, and we say Amen. |
This prayer for the peace of the nation, first published in the siddur VeAni Tefillati (second edition, page 133), was circulated by the Masorti Movement in Israel on social media on 1 August 2024, amidst increased anxieties over impending retaliatory strikes by Iran and its proxy armies in Lebanon and elsewhere.
Source(s)
Tefilah l’shalom hamedinah (Masorti Movement in Israel (1 August 2024) mi sheberakh for the State of Israel (Masorti Movement in Israel, v’Ani Tefilati (second edition, page 133)
