הַשְׁכִּיבֵנוּ | Shield the Children: A Prayer for Refugees, a paraliturgical translation of Hashkivenu by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=26812

open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Date: 2019-09-01

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

Categories: Child care, Hashkivenu

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., immigration policy, Immigration policy of Donald Trump, night, North American Jewry, paraliturgical hashkivenu, paraliturgical teḥinot, prophylactic, protection, United States Immigration Policy, השכיבנו hashkivenu

Excerpt: This prayer is a line by line interpretative translation of a traditional Ashkenazi variation of the Hashkiveinu prayer recited for Ma'ariv Leil Shabbat. . . .


Content:
Source (Hebrew) Transliteration (Romanization) Translation (English)

Shield the Children: A Prayer for Refugees
(Based on the nusaḥ Ashkenaz variation of the Hashkiveinu prayer for Ma’ariv Shabbat)
הַשְׁכִּיבֵֽנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ לְשָׁלוֹם
Hashkivenu Adonai Eloheinu l’shalom
Lay them down tonight in peace,
all the children at the borders of our land
וְהַעֲמִידֵֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ
לְחַיִּים
V’ha’amideinu malkeinu
l’ḥayyim
Lay us down tonight with conscience,
that we might rise again to ensure the life
of those in our care.
וּפְרוֹס עָלֵֽינוּ
סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶֽךָ
U’fros aleinu
sukkat sh’lomekha
Help us to spread over our land,
your Sukkah of peace
וְתַקְּנֵֽנוּ
בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ
V’taknenu
b’eitsah tovah milfanekha
Help us to repair our broken systems,
and guide us with Your solutions grounded in goodness
וְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ
לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֶֽךָ:
V’hoshi’enu
l’ma’an sh’mekha
Save us from ourselves,
for the sake of your holy Name–
for the sake of eternal compassion
וְהָגֵן בַּעֲדֵֽנוּ
V’hagein ba’adeinu
Shield the children.
וְהָסֵר מֵעָלֵֽינוּ אוֹיֵב
דֶּֽבֶר וְחֶֽרֶב וְרָעָב וְיָגוֹן
וְהָסֵר שָׂטָן מִלְפָנֵֽינוּ וּמֵאַחֲרֵֽנוּ
V’haseir mei’aleinu oyeiv,
dever, v’ḥerev, v’ra’av, v’yagon,
v’haseir satan milfaneinu, u’mei’aḥareinu
And remove from our hearts our inner enemies,
the sword of apathy, the famine of feeling, the paralysis of despair
וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶֽיךָ תַּסְתִּירֵֽנוּ
U’v’tseil k’nafekha tastireinu
Let us shelter them under Your protecting Love.
כִּי אֵל שׁוֹמְרֵֽנוּ וּמַצִּילֵֽנוּ אַתָּה
Ki El shomreinu u’matsileinu atah
For You have taught us to protect and to rescue
כִּי אֵל מֶֽלֶךְ חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אַתָּה
Ki El Melekh Ḥanun v’Raḥum Atah
To be Masters of Grace and Compassion
וּשְׁמוֹר צֵאתֵֽנוּ וּבוֹאֵֽנוּ
לְחַיִּים וּלְשָׁלוֹם
מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם
U’sh’mor tseiteinu u’vo’einu
l’ḥayyim u’l’shalom
mei’atah v’ad olam
Let us ever protect those fleeing violence and arriving at our shores
as we create a safe, life giving and peaceful haven
וּפְרוֹס עָלֵֽינוּ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶֽךָ:
U’fros aleinu sukkat sh’lomekha
For then will Your Sukkah of peace be established in us.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ
הַפּוֹרֵס סֻכַּת שָׁלוֹם עָלֵֽינוּ
וְעַל כָּל־עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל
וְעַל כָּל יוֺשְׁבֵי תֵבֶל
וְעַל־יְרֽוּשָׁלָֽםִ:
Barukh Atah Adonai
haPoreis sukkat shalom aleinu,
v’al kol amo Yisra’el,
v’al kol yoshvei tevel,
v’al Yerushalayim.
Blessed are You Eternal One
who teaches us how to wrap ourselves in peace.

This prayer is a line by line interpretative translation of a traditional Ashkenazi variation of the Hashkiveinu prayer recited for Ma’ariv Leil Shabbat.

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Contributor: Kaya Stern-Kaufman

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
CBP_Processing_Unaccompanied_Children_(15020196668)
Title: CBP_Processing_Unaccompanied_Children_(15020196668)
Caption: "South Texas Border - U.S. Customs and Border Protection provide assistance to unaccompanied alien children after they have crossed the border into the United States, 2014." (Photo provided by: Hector Silva, Public Domain)