A Selected Bibliography of Published Articles and Divrei Torah can be found here
New Prayers:
“A Prayer for Interfaith Thanksgiving”
How blessed we are as we gather together during this week of gratitude!
We join together not to try to convert the other, but to celebrate our shared values of love and justice, of loving kindness, and concern for all human beings.
Blessed is the One God who created us; Blessed is the Source of Life who created each one of us in the image of God, b’tzelem Elohim. (Gen. 1:27)
We celebrate our traditions, our human equality, and the infinite value of every person here.
Blessed is each of our unique traditions, our similarities and differences.
As we share these sacred moments, let us recognize that we need each other, now more than ever. The colder and darker it is outside – throughout our country, and our world – the more we need one another to bring light.
Today we require each other more than ever so that we can work together to mend our broken world.
May we fully engage with each other so that that we can discover more truths about holiness and about the possibilities of love than we can possibly know separately.
Blessed be our time together. May it provide nourishment and inspiration for us, for our communities, as we continue to work together for a world that is more peaceful, more welcoming, and more just for all of humanity.
Amen.
A Prayer for Our Country
Our God and God of our ancestors, bless this country and all who dwell within it.
Help us to experience the blessings of our lives and circumstances, to be vigilant, compassionate, and brave. Strengthen us when we are afraid, help us to channel our anger,
so that it motivates us to action. Help us to be humble in our fear,
knowing that as vulnerable as we feel, there are those at greater risk,
and that it is our holy work to stand with them.
Help us to taste the sweetness of liberty, to not take for granted the freedoms won in generations past. Source of all life, guide our leaders with righteousness, that they may use their influence and authority to speak truth and act for justice.
May all who dwell in this country enjoy its freedoms, and be protected by its laws.
May this nation use its power and wealth to be a voice for justice, peace, and equality for all who dwell on earth.
May we be strong and have courage to be bold in our action and deep in our compassion,
to uproot bigotry, intolerance, and violence in all its forms, to celebrate the many faces of God reflected in the wondrous diversity of humanity, to welcome the stranger and the immigrant, as so many of our ancestors were welcomed here.
Let justice well up like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
And let us say together, Amen.
(Adapted from Rabbi Ayelet Cohen)
A Prayer for Ukraine and Beyond
Rabbi Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Ph.D.
February 2022
We come before you, Adonai, praying for peace.
A new war has begun, and hundreds of innocent people are dying….
We pray for the strength and courage of the few faced with
the ruthless power of the many.
We stand together with our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine,
the birthplace of so many of our ancestors,
a place where the Jewish people has known both light and darkness.
We pray for a quick end to the raging conflict and the senseless bloodshed.
May our people remember that wherever a Jew is in danger or hurt,
we all feel that danger and pain as well.
As they seek cover from the life-threatening missiles
and fire falling from the sky, as they help the elderly
and hug their children tightly, and defend their homeland,
we pray that they can maintain hope that a Sukkat Shalom
–a canopy of blessing and peace— will soon emerge above them.
May all the innocent people in the Ukraine and throughout the region
know that we are with them. Even from afar, we hear their cries.
May they know that we will continue to advocate for peace among nations
and that we will strengthen our commitment to aid and protect
every human being.
May the Source of All Life protect all of humanity from violence.
May the Source of Peace bring wisdom to their leaders and
bring a sense of tranquility, shalvah, to the people of the region
and peace to all who are endangered.
Amen.
Consider these ways to respond immediately:
1) The World Union for Progressive Judaism: https://wupj.org/give/ukraine/ Aid to the Reform Communities
in the region.
2) The JDC, Joint Distribution Committee: Ongoing Aid to Jews throughout the region;
3) IsraAid: Israel’s largest NGO to dispatch emergency team to aid in areas of crises.