A Jew's Prayer for the Children of Gaza

Nearly everyone I know here in Israel has been dragging around for weeks weighed down by dread and anguish, much of it for the truly innocent victims, the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of children within range of Israel's and Hamas' weaponry. I tried to post a blog about what I felt for the children of Gaza, where I used to work many years ago, but the only appropriate medium seemed to be prayer. I told my close friend Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman about it, and he suggested I reference the biblical story of Ishmael. I then posted it on haaretz.com. I received hundreds of very moving e-mails from as far away as New Zealand and Indonesia, and am deeply grateful for each one.

If there has ever been a time for prayer, this is that time.

If there has ever been a place forsaken, Gaza is that place.

Lord who is the creator of all children, hear our prayer this accursed day. God whom we call Blessed, turn your face to these, the children of Gaza, that they may know your blessings, and your shelter, that they may know light and warmth, where there is now only blackness and smoke, and a cold which cuts and clenches the skin.

Almighty who makes exceptions, which we call miracles, make an exception of the children of Gaza. Shield them from us and from their own. Spare them. Heal them. Let them stand in safety. Deliver them from hunger and horror and fury and grief. Deliver them from us, and from their own.

Restore to them their stolen childhoods, their birthright, which is a taste of heaven.

Remind us, O Lord, of the child Ishmael, who is the father of all the children of Gaza. How the child Ishmael was without water and left for dead in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba, so robbed of all hope, that his own mother could not bear to watch his life drain away.

Be that Lord, the God of our kinsman Ishmael, who heard his cry and sent His angel to comfort his mother Hagar.

Be that Lord, who was with Ishmael that day, and all the days after. Be that God, the All-Merciful, who opened Hagar's eyes that day, and showed her the well of water, that she could give the boy Ishmael to drink, and save his life.

Allah, whose name we call Elohim, who gives life, who knows the value and the fragility of every life, send these children your angels. Save them, the children of this place, Gaza the most beautiful, and Gaza the damned.

In this day, when the trepidation and rage and mourning that is called war, seizes our hearts and patches them in scars, we call to you, the Lord whose name is Peace:

Bless these children, and keep them from harm.

Turn Your face toward them, O Lord. Show them, as if for the first time, light and kindness, and overwhelming graciousness.

Look up at them, O Lord. Let them see your face.

And, as if for the first time, grant them peace.

With thanks to Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman of Kol HaNeshama, Jerusalem.

Comments

[OtayPanky]

Lord who is the creator of all children, hear our prayer this accursed day. God whom we call Blessed, turn your face to these, the children of Gaza, that they may know your blessings, and your shelter, that they may know light and warmth, where there is now only blackness and smoke, and a cold which cuts and clenches the skin.

===

That's a lovely sentiment.

Then there's this, from Deuternomy 7:1-5:

"When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire."

And that pretty much sums up the problem.

[wjh123]

APAC makes every single congressman complete a questionaire when they announce they plan to run for office. Depending on how they answer the questions, determines if they will win. Congress is asleep.

[justice2all]

If there were more people like you on both sides of this conflict..we could have hope for peace

[justice2all]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[cayuse]

God Bless You for this. The world needs to see your compassion and understanding of human rights that we are all the children of the ONE GOD. Pray that each of us find this compassion and understanding in our hearts. I ask that you share this concept of nations and self with your dear ones as you struggle with the good and evil GOD shines upon the earth. If it does help with now maybe the then.

http://www.yogananda-srf.org/writings/world.html

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Amen.

[red sea rose]

Gaza the damned, indeed. I've been dragging around myself, unable to escape from the faces of Gaza; the dead of Gaza I needed to read this. It's beautiful and meaningful. I don't even consider it interfaith, it's just the language of that region plain and simple.

[aemathisphd]

Interfaith dialogue is, in my opinion, so important to finding the solution to both the immediate crisis, as well as the occupation overall. Jews need to understand that the vast majority of Muslims are not like the people in Hamas, nor are they inherently taught to hate Jews, either in Israel or elsewhere. And Muslims in Palestine and the Middle East need to learn to distinguish between Zionism and the Jewish faith.

At the core of both faiths is the fundamental principle that you should treat other people are you would want to be treated. Neither side's government is adhering to this principle, and that's very tragic.

[cayuse]

It is the teaching (fundamental principles) of all the great teachers Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Mohammad and Christ.

http://hu.netlog.com/go/explore/videos/videoid=55029

Millions of stars placed in the skies by ONE GOD;
Millions of men lift up their eyes to ONE GOD.
So many children calling to him by many a different name;
One Father, loving each the same.
Many the ways all of us pray to ONE GOD
Many the paths winding their way to ONE GOD
Brothers and sisters there were no strangers after His work was done
For your God and my God are ONE
.