“And the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.” – Genesis 41:54
In a world of plenty, we still face hunger in wealthy nations and famine in impoverished lands. This is from my series of prayers for social justice including: “Against Poverty,” “Against Human Trafficking” and “Against Tyranny.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.
Against Hunger
G-d of the poor,
G-d of the starving and the malnourished,
The voice of grief echoes across the land.
Dismayed and abandoned in a world of abundance,
Our children,
Our brothers
And our sisters
Struggle to feed their families,
Struggle to put food on the table,
As they watch emptiness and longing
Consume their kin,
As they watch disease and death,
Encircle their homes and their lives.
Source of bounty and plenty,
Rock of compassion and mercy,
You call upon us to stand in the name of justice and healing,
To witness against indifference and neglect,
To solve issues of scarcity and distribution,
To create a world of agricultural success in every land,
And among every people.
Bless those who dedicate their lives to the hungry and the forgotten.
Bless those who take to the cities and the countryside to offer food and sustenance.
Bless those who teach others to feed themselves.
Bless those whose ideas and research will lead to new solutions for ending this plague.
Bless those who plead on behalf of the needy and the poor before the seats of power.
Give them courage and determination.
Give them wisdom and skill.
May the work of their hands never falter
Nor despair deter them from this holy calling.
Bless the hungry with resources.
Release them from want.
Hasten the day of their self-sufficiency and bounty.
Blessed are You, G-d of All Being,
Who summons us to oppose the tyranny of hunger.
© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Postscript: Click here for more prayers about social justice. This prayer would also make a lovely addition to your Pesach seder. It was first posted on November 2, 2011, for Global Hunger Shabbat of the American Jewish World Service.
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Photo Credit: Chabad World.
