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Tonight, I had the privilege of delivering the invocation at the opening dinner of the Council on Foreign Relations annual Religion and Foreign Policy Workshop. I spoke right after a public conversation with Ambassador Sam Brownback, Ambassador for Religious Freedom. Here’s the prayer I offered:
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| Hebrew | English |
|---|---|
ריבונו של עולם |
Guiding power of the universe |
הרחמן |
Compassionate One |
You brought us forth from slavery to freedom, from oppression to liberation. | |
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ (במדבר יג:מא) | |
אשר הוצאתי אתכם. עַל מְנָת כֵּן פָּדִיתִי אֶתְכֶם שֶׁתְּקַבְּלוּ עֲלֵיכֶם גְּזֵרוֹתַי: (רש”י על במדבר ט״ו:מא) |
You teach us in through the words of the medieval Jewish sage, Rashi:[3] Rashi on Numbers 15:41, quoting Sifrei Bamidbar 115:1. “On this condition I redeemed you: That you would accept My laws upon yourselves.”[4] Cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 115:1. |
God, You have taught us that freedom from human servitude means the obligation to serve You. You brought us out from Mitsrayim— the narrow place, the land of oppression— and charged us to ensure that the lands of our freedom would never resemble Mitsrayim. | |
In Mitsrayim, the majority feared and suspected a minority, and subjected them to enslavement and violence. In this land, God, give us the wisdom to reject the idolatry of placing any race or religion in mastery over others. Give us the courage to embrace the dignity and rights of every single human being, created equally in Your image, and to delight in the many cultures of Your creations. | |
In Mitsrayim, the majority’s hatred and denigration of a foreign minority justified ripping babies out of the arms of their parents. In this land, God, give us the compassion to treat all children with love, to take responsibility for their health and safety, and to ensure that they are safe in the arms of their families. | |
In Mitsrayim, Pharaoh, an autocratic and narcissistic leader subjugated both his own people and foreigners, in order to enrich and empower himself, and to build monuments to his own glory. In this land, God, give us the strength to preserve democracy and the rule of law, for we are all equal in Your sight. | |
עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לָעֲשׁוּקִים נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים יְהוָה מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים׃ (תהלים קמו:ז) |
In the words of the Psalms: You secure justice for the oppressed, provide food for the hungry, and set free those who are imprisoned.[5] Psalms 146:7. |
וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו׃ (דברים כח:ט) |
You have commanded us in your Torah, to walk in your ways.[6] Deuteronomy 28:9. |
We thank you, God, for the opportunity and the obligation to serve You. We thank you for bringing us together in this sacred task: to repair brokenness, and to establish justice and righteousness for all people in this land. | |
ברוך אתה ה׳ מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט׃ |
Blessed are you, Adonai, who loves justice and righteousness. |
This prayer was first published on Rabbi Jill Jacobs’s Facebook page, here. Simply described as an invocation for the event, I chose the title for this prayer based on its content. –Aharon Varady
Notes
“Prayer that the Lands of Our Freedom Never Resemble Mitsrayim, by Rabbi Jill Jacobs” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
Jill Jacobs
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