Posts Tagged ‘terror’

 

Prayer for the People of Norway

Posted on: July 24th, 2011 by tobendlight

On July 22, 2011, a brutal bombing attack and shooting spree rocked Norway. On April 16, 2011, the killer went on trial in Oslo. This prayer was written in the days after the violence. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the People of Norway
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Cutting down youth in Utoya, Norway,
Our children,
Future leaders,
Brothers and sisters,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking hope for tomorrow.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of murder in Utoya
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
Remember the survivors of this horror,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear,
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
Grant the people of Norway Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This is an adaptation of a prayer I wrote in response to recent attacks in Mumbai, which was based on two of my other prayers, “At the Hand of Violence” and “In Devastation.”  You’ll also find related prayers in my “Liturgy for 9-11.”

Ask others to pray for the people of Norway: post a link to this prayer to your Facebook page, your blog or as part of a tweet. Please subscribe. For reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” Thanks.

Violence in Mumbai

Posted on: July 13th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for victims of violence, a response to the attacks in Mumbai today. It’s an adaptation and combination of elements of two of my other prayers: “At the Hand of Violence” and “In Devastation.”

Violence in Mumbai
Author of life
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who lost their lives the attacks in Mumbai,
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

G-d of justice and mercy,
Remember the survivors of this attack,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the people of Mumbai Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: My daughter Dana asked me to write “At the Hand of Violence” for Brendon z”l, her friend who was brutally murdered in the streets of Chicago three years ago. It first appeared here on April 21, 2011. “In Devastation” was a response to the earthquake in Haiti. It was posted on Jan. 11, 2011, for the first anniversary of that disaster. It has been revised and reposted for the earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. For related prayers, see my “Liturgy for 9-11.”

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In Times of War

Posted on: May 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer to be said in times of war. Of course, it’s a prayer for peace. It’s also a prayer for life, safety, hope and sound judgment from our national leaders. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below.

In Times of War
Ancient One,
G-d of compassion and mercy,
Our country is at war.
Our soldiers take arms,
Once more,
In pursuit of justice,
To defend and to protect life and liberty.

Grant our leaders with insight and strength
To guide our nation on a path of wisdom,
Using our power and might with courage, with caution and with care.
Keep our soldiers safe.
Return them swiftly in life and in health.
Bless the injured and wounded with Your healing hand
And their families with Your loving grace.
Grant a swift end to this and all human violence
So that fear and struggle give way to joy and hope.
Send compassion and protection
To refugees, widows and orphans
From every land and every conflict.

Guardian of Life,
Source and Shelter.
Bring harmony and tranquility
To all nations and all peoples
So that we may renew and rebuild,
In the name of compassion,
In the name of peace.

Blessed are You, Source of Peace.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a prayer “For Peace in the Middle East.” Also, see my post about a liturgy for 9-11 for a prayer called “To the Terrorist.”

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A Liturgy for 9-11

Posted on: April 28th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a 9-11 liturgy written for the 10th anniversary of the attacks. In HUC-JIR’s Tzeh U’limad, Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., held a dialogue called “Remembering 9-11: Ten Years Later.” She then asked me to write a 9-11 liturgy. The original four prayers appear on that site. The post below includes additional prayers written as I thought further about the liturgy. Here’s a link to video montage of “For 9-11 Survivors.”

                                                          

For 9-11 Survivors
G-d of the survivor,
G-d of the mourner and the witness,
Grant solace and peace to those still held by physical, emotional and spiritual distress from the attacks of 9-11. Release them from visions of death and destruction, from guilt or shame, from fear or anger. Bind their wounds with Your steadfast love. Lift them on Your wings of kindness and grace.

Blessed are those who have found peace.
Blessed are those without tranquility.

Blessed are those who speak.
Blessed are those who stay silent.

Blessed are those who have healed.
Blessed are those who suffer.

Blessed are those who forgive.
Blessed are those who cannot forgive.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, Source of strength for survivors of violence and tragedy in every land and in every age. Blessed are You, Rock of Israel, Source of hope and comfort.

                                                      

To the Terrorist
You who would hold the sky captive,
The sea prisoner,
The land in chains…

You who hide in caves,
Retreat to the wilderness,
Disappear behind false names and forged papers…

You who smuggle guns and arms,
Hide rockets in cities and bombs in homes,
Build weapons against the innocent and the bystander…

You whose designs are destruction,
Whose plans are fear,
Whose joy is hate…

You who harden your hearts
And wrap yourselves in death…

What evil has robbed you of your love,
Your compassion,
Your goodness,
Your humanity?
What lies have invaded your minds
So that you choose to die in order to kill?

We who love our lives and liberty
Stand firm and strong against terror.
We will defend our nation and our people.
We will protect our land and our homes.
And we pray for you to find hope and comfort
In lives of peace.

                                                   

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name in Hebrew or your native tongue),
My [ father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend ]
Who died [ in / during / because of ]
The 9-11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of his/her hands
And the message of his/her heart
Remember all those who were lost in the terror of that day.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May the memory of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

____________________

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who died in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of their hands
And the message of their hearts.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

                                                      
Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To those who died in service to others because of
The 9/11 attacks on the Unites States.
May their dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of love
And the works of their hands bring us all merit in heaven.
Bless the souls of all who have died to save others,
Civilians and professionals,
The trained and the untrained,
In every age and in every land,
Men and women who answered the call of honor, duty and service.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
____________________

Yizkor for First Responders
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To ______________________ (name in Hebrew or your native tongue),
My [ father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend ]
Who died in service to others [ in / during / because of ]
_________________________________________________ [name of event such as:
[the 9/11 attacks on the Unites States, the Mount Carmel forest fire, etc.].
May his/her  dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of  love
And the works of his/her  hands bring us all merit in heaven.
Bless the souls of all who have died to save others,
Civilians and professionals,
The trained and the untrained,
In every age and in every land,
Men and women who answered the call of honor, duty and service.
May the memory of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

                                                      

Other prayers that may be useful in developing a 9-11 commemoration are:

All of these works are © 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Special thanks to my sister Mara Lund for her insightful comments on drafts of these prayers. Thanks also to Rabbi Ruth for the invitation to write.

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

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