U.S. President Donald Trump has declared a ceasefire in the war with Iran. In Israel, we know how fragile the first hours and days of a ceasefire can be. So, here’s a pray that the ceasefire holds, leading to a real and lasting peace, even though, today, that truly feels like a pipe dream. So, indeed, it is the time for prayer.

At the Start of a Ceasefire
Source of life,
How strange is this thing
Called a ceasefire,
Knowing that some, or all,
Of those shooting rockets at us
May not abide.
Knowing that we may not abide.
Knowing the fragility of these moments.
Knowing the preciousness of even
A fleeting calm.

God of peace,
Let these hours of cautious wonder
Lead to days of quiet calm.
Let days of quiet calm
Lead to weeks of hopeful serenity,
Let weeks of hopeful serenity
Become a dawning of good faith.
Let the dawn of good faith
Lead to years of peace, prosperity, and plenty.

Let this moment be for healing.
Let this moment be for repair.
Let this moment be a new beginning,
For every nation and all of Your children.

© 2026 Alden Solovy

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Please check out These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah and my other CCAR Press volumes: This Grateful Heart, This Joyous Soul, and This Precious Life, which can also be purchased as the Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. For a taste of my teaching, see my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer.”

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Photo of a missile intercept taken by Alden Solovy in Jerusalem on the way to a bomb shelter near his home.