“In den G-ttesdiensten sind die Gebetsbücher auf Hebräisch und der jeweiligen Landessprache, dennoch werden die Gebete nur auf Hebräisch gesprochen und die Lesungen aus der Torah ebenso. Warum ist das so?“
Manchmal kommt es vor, dass am Ende eines langen Studientages ein Freund, mit dem ich gemeinsam Talmud studiere, zu mir sagt: Komm lass uns den letzten Abschnitt schnell in der „anderen heiligen Sprache lesen“. Er meint damit Englisch. Es gehört schon eine gehörige Portion Chuzpe dazu, Englisch mit Hebräisch gleichzusetzen, oder?
Bless the soldiers of Israel’s Defense Forces, and every one who stands guard in order to protect our people. May the Holy One, Blessed be God, protect them and save them from all troubles and afflictions, from all sickness and injury and send blessing to all their endeavors. May the words of the Prophets come to fruition through them “and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. And each one shall sit under the vine and under the fig tree and none shall be afraid,” and let us say, Amen.
May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, that You abolish all wars and bloodshed from this world and extend a great and wonderful peace in the world. Nations shall not lift up the sword against one another, neither shall they learn to make war any more. May all the inhabitants of this universe acknowledge the one great truth; that we have not come into this world for friction and dissension, nor enmity and jealousy and vexation and bloodshed. We have come into the world solely that we might know You, eternally blessed One.
And therefore have mercy upon us that through us the written word will become a reality. “And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; I will give the land respite from vicious beasts and no sword shall cross your land.” (Lev. 26:6) “But let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream.” (Amos.5:24) “For the land shall be filled with devotion to Adonai as water covers the sea.” (Is. 11:9)
Based on the prayer of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, from Siddur Ha’avodah She’ba’lev, Service of the Heart.
Source of peace, Sovereign of peace,
Establish peace among Your people, Israel.
And let there be an ever-increasing peace among all peoples.
May there be no more hatred, rancor, strife or conquest
Between one human being and another.
Let there be only love and a great peace among us,
So that each on of us may know the love of the other.
Until we are able to come and gather together-every person with another.
So that we may speak – one to the other.
So that we may explain – one to the other – Your truth.
God – You are peace, and from You comes peace.
Source of peace, bless us with peace.
Amen.
Based on the prayer of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, from Siddur Ha’avodah She’ba’lev, Service of the Heart
