Prayers for Peace

There is much to pray for now

We mourn for the Israeli lives lost and the many injured in this next wave of war.  We pray for our Israeli siblings whose lives are continually interrupted by the wail of sirens.  We see the images of joyous weddings and defiant Purim parties in shelters and underground parking lots, and we rejoice with them.  We are in awe of the courage of the IDF soldiers standing guard at every border, of the pilots who take to the skies, of the sailors at sea, and of those whose acts of bravery we will never know.  May a lasting peace come swiftly for the State of Israel and all her inhabitants.

We stand in solidarity with the innocent Iranians, who are courageously rising up against the tyranny which has ruled them with fear and violence for far too long.  May peace and freedom come swiftly to the proud and ancient Persian civilization.

We also pray for our Persian neighbours in Toronto who are gripped by the fear of the unknown.  They have stood with the Jewish community since October 7th^, and now we stand with them, descendants of King Cyrus the Great.  May peace and dignity be restored swiftly.

We pray for our sister-congregation, Temple Emanu-El, which was targeted under the darkness of Purim night. May the confident joy they experienced together just hours earlier swiftly return. May their sanctuary always be a true sanctuary.

We pray for our own congregation, which is strong, but that doesn’t mean we don’t also feel vulnerable. May we come confidently to this spiritual home and leave each time renewed by it.

We pray for police officers and security guards, who put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect us and our neighbours.  We pray for lawmakers, judges, and elected leaders.  May God’s wisdom guide them in this hour that demands discernment.  We pray for our city, which longs to be a bright light among the cities of the world, a celebration of diversity and mutual respect.  We pray for our country, which is struggling to find its way in a world which can be dangerous and unpredictable.

Each weekday morning, we pray:

Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, O Eternal Source of Peace, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth.  Bless our country, that it may ever be a stronghold of peace, and its advocate among the nations.  May contentment reign within its borders, health and happiness within its homes.  Strengthen the bonds of friendship among the inhabitants of all lands, and may the love of Your name hallow every home and every heart.

עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל וְאִמְרוּ: אָמֵן

May the One Who Makes Peace in the heights of heaven, cause a measure of that peace to descend on us, on all the People Israel, and upon all the inhabitants of the earth.  And let us say:  Amen.