Image: A table ready for Shabbat blessings, with candlestick, challah wine and salt. (Shutterstock)
I facilitate a Kabbalat Shabbat minyan (welcoming Shabbat prayer group) on Friday evenings for Jewish Gateways. This week there were special challenges since we had prepared for a LGBTQ Pride Shabbat, and this morning the news of the Supreme Court decision came down. Folks in the minyan asked me to share the texts of the prayers I brought them this evening.
A Prayer for Pride Month
Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Creator of Time and Space, Ruler of all that is,
Who created this world and all the wonders within it,
You created the first person, Adam, in Your Image. Our Torah says:
“So God created humankind in the Divine Image,
Creating it in the Image of God.” (Genesis 1:27)
You taught us to look for your Image in every face,
to seek out the spark of divinity in every soul, to trust
That differences are both holy, and part of a greater Unity,
The Unity of You.
Binary and non-binary, male and female, gay and lesbian, transgender, bisexual and queer,
We each reflect an essential aspect of the Divine.
What links us all is love, the Love at the heart of the world,
You, O Holy One,
Wonder of wonders, Who made a world full of wonders.
Amen.
written by Rabbi Ruth Adar, 25 Sivan, 5782
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Also, I adapted a prayer from the collection at ritualwell.org. This is the adaptation as I read it, and here is a link to the original. My sincere thanks to Kohenet Ahavah Lilith evershYne for the original prayer!
Mi Shebeirach for the USA
May the Holy One who blessed our ancestors
bless us at this moment in the “Land of the Free”
with all of the blessings that we need to heal
all of the injustices in this nation that are real;
May God awaken and kindle deep inside
any latent powers we have to heal these divides;
May the Holy One help us to become all we can be –
a nation of true peace, social justice and equality,
where everyone who dwells here receives all that they need
to Live and Love, to grow and thrive, to achieve all their dreams,
where children are safe, nourished, cherished, can grow and learn in peace,
where immigrants are welcomed from places they need to flee,
where people of all colors, statuses, beliefs and identities
are treated equally with great respect and dignity,
where science is listened to,
where treaties are honored and reparations are made immediately,
where we honestly confront our past and teach all who need to see
that our differences are what can make us such a great democracy.
May we put people before profits, and listen only to truth,
May we revere our elders and indigenous ones and listen to our youths,
May we take stands for social justice here and everywhere,
May we lead by example to be compassionate, just and fair,
May we take all the necessary steps to heal our Mother Earth,
May we midwife our country’s rebirth,
where the Holy One reminds us that labor can also have great pains
Zhe tells us that we have the power to ensure that Love reigns;
May this nation and the world heal its bodies, hearts, minds and souls;
May we all know a complete healing to be truly free and whole.
Now, as we take all our intentions
For those who are sick or suffering
For the healing of our nation,
For the healing of the world
adapted from the work of Kohenet Ahava Lilith evershYne
Oh, Rabbi, this is so welcome. Love the ways to help us refocus a day of infamy: actions on behalf of Pride-LGBTQ people, immigrants, & other national needs.
Thank you Rabbi for the words of wisdom. The LGBTQ Pride Parade was attacked by a gunman killing two and injuring 40 in Oslo, Norway today. Our Pride Parade in Edmonton, Alberta was attacked in 2019 causing a halt to further parades. It is becoming more difficult every day to bring good words to people living in fear again.
Thank you.