Special Sabbath Prayer For Yesha
Leading Israeli rabbis have agreed that a special prayer on behalf of the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and Gaza should be recited tomorrow, and every Sabbath, following the public Torah reading. The prayer was composed by Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion, and has received the blessing of Rabbis Chaim Druckman, Yaakov Ariel, Shlomo Aviner, Tzfaniah Drori, Dov Lior and others.
The Hebrew text of the prayer:
"אבינו שבשמים צור ישראל וגואלו!
ברך את בניך אהוביך היושבים בכל מרחבי ארץ קדשך,
ומחוננים את עפרה, מנגב ועד גולן ומירדן ועד ים,
ובהם בניך היקרים הנאחזים במסירות ובהתמדה –
בחבלי יהודה, שומרון וחבל עזה.
אבינו מלכנו, השב
(ha-shav)
שבות עמו ומשיב בנים לגבולם!
אנא חזק את רוחם ואמץ את לבם, לעמוד איתן,
נוכח אויבינו הקמים עלינו לבקש את נפשנו.
וכל החושבים עליהם רעה ומרימים ידם לעקור בנים מגבולם,
מהרה הפר עצתם וקלקל מחשבתם,
למען יחלצון ידידיך וישבו לבטח בארצם
.
רבונו של עולם, הודע שיש לך אהובים בעולמך!
וקיים בנו את הדבר שהבטחתנו ע"י עמוס נביאך:
'ונטעתים על אדמתם ולא ינתשו עוד מעל אדמתם'
מעתה ועד עולם".
An abridged English translation of the prayer:
"Our Father in Heaven, Rock of Israel and its Redeemer, bless your beloved children who dwell throughout Your holy land, from the Negev to the Golan, and from the Jordan to the Mediterranean - including your precious children who cling with dedication and perseverance to the lands of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
"Please strengthen their spirit and fortify their hearts to stand strong in the face of our enemies who wish to destroy us. All those who wish to harm them and try to uproot children from their borders, speedily incapacitate their counsel and impair their plan.
"Master of the Universe, make it known that You have loved ones in Your world! Let Your promise spoken by Your prophet Amos be fulfilled: 'I will plant them on their Land and they will never be uprooted.'"
Rabbi Porat explained that the prayer is designed primarily to express the Jewish tradition that "Repentance, Prayer and Charity will cancel the evil decree," but also to "help us internalize that the struggle for the settlement enterprise in the Land of Israel is not only a diplomatic and military one, but chiefly a spiritual effort for that which is sacred to our People and the fundamentals of our faith."
"It's possible," Rabbi Porat said, "that the public recitation of this prayer will help imbue the recognition that uprooting Jewish communities from their Land harms not only those who live there, but also Jewish tradition and the longings of generations for the fulfillment of the Biblical promise, 'the sons will return to their borders.'"
Leading Israeli rabbis have agreed that a special prayer on behalf of the Jewish settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and Gaza should be recited tomorrow, and every Sabbath, following the public Torah reading. The prayer was composed by Rabbi Chanan Porat of Kfar Etzion, and has received the blessing of Rabbis Chaim Druckman, Yaakov Ariel, Shlomo Aviner, Tzfaniah Drori, Dov Lior and others.
The Hebrew text of the prayer:
"אבינו שבשמים צור ישראל וגואלו!
ברך את בניך אהוביך היושבים בכל מרחבי ארץ קדשך,
ומחוננים את עפרה, מנגב ועד גולן ומירדן ועד ים,
ובהם בניך היקרים הנאחזים במסירות ובהתמדה –
בחבלי יהודה, שומרון וחבל עזה.
אבינו מלכנו, השב
(ha-shav)
שבות עמו ומשיב בנים לגבולם!
אנא חזק את רוחם ואמץ את לבם, לעמוד איתן,
נוכח אויבינו הקמים עלינו לבקש את נפשנו.
וכל החושבים עליהם רעה ומרימים ידם לעקור בנים מגבולם,
מהרה הפר עצתם וקלקל מחשבתם,
למען יחלצון ידידיך וישבו לבטח בארצם
.
רבונו של עולם, הודע שיש לך אהובים בעולמך!
וקיים בנו את הדבר שהבטחתנו ע"י עמוס נביאך:
'ונטעתים על אדמתם ולא ינתשו עוד מעל אדמתם'
מעתה ועד עולם".
An abridged English translation of the prayer:
"Our Father in Heaven, Rock of Israel and its Redeemer, bless your beloved children who dwell throughout Your holy land, from the Negev to the Golan, and from the Jordan to the Mediterranean - including your precious children who cling with dedication and perseverance to the lands of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
"Please strengthen their spirit and fortify their hearts to stand strong in the face of our enemies who wish to destroy us. All those who wish to harm them and try to uproot children from their borders, speedily incapacitate their counsel and impair their plan.
"Master of the Universe, make it known that You have loved ones in Your world! Let Your promise spoken by Your prophet Amos be fulfilled: 'I will plant them on their Land and they will never be uprooted.'"
Rabbi Porat explained that the prayer is designed primarily to express the Jewish tradition that "Repentance, Prayer and Charity will cancel the evil decree," but also to "help us internalize that the struggle for the settlement enterprise in the Land of Israel is not only a diplomatic and military one, but chiefly a spiritual effort for that which is sacred to our People and the fundamentals of our faith."
"It's possible," Rabbi Porat said, "that the public recitation of this prayer will help imbue the recognition that uprooting Jewish communities from their Land harms not only those who live there, but also Jewish tradition and the longings of generations for the fulfillment of the Biblical promise, 'the sons will return to their borders.'"