Let’s Settle This Now, God
We are not perfect, God. We have many faults.
There are still poor, needy, and homeless Jews in the US, Israel, and other parts of the world because we are not taking care of one another. Many can’t afford Jewish school, summer camp, food, and clothing. Our pride and arrogance can be distasteful, and we cannot admit our mistakes or dependence on Your beneficence. We still disdain other Jews for not doing things the way we do. We spend too much, drink too much, and have internalized the materialism of this world. We have idols, something we hold sacred that are false and impermanent. Even though you warned us about it, we cozy up to power. We have become comfortable and enjoy being in Exile.
We are disrespectful to our parents, our rabbis, our Torah leaders. We slack in our commitment to learning the Torah, walking its ways, and holding on to the Tree of Life. We harbor hatred for other Jews. We have too much dishonesty in business and desecrate your name publicly. We pursue material wealth over spiritual wealth. We have hidden our identity, kept quiet when we should have spoken out,
But You, God, sent us into Exile. You brought us to these shores and saved us from persecution and extermination in other lands. You allowed us to thrive, build, and create a dynamic Jewish life in this country. You created jealousy, greed, and other opposing forces in the human psyche. So, while we are assimilating and adapting to life in the United States, we are human, and the culture around us influences us. You can’t hold us entirely to blame for failing to live up to our potential to be a light unto the nations.
So when see more than a thousand innocent Jews are murdered by evil hoards, raped and tortured, kidnapped, and still held in underground holes;
And Your people are chased and battered and denigrated from Berkeley to London;
And Israel is blamed for every wrong, slandered in every language, vilified, and isolated for the sin of defending themselves;
And our precious children are slaughtered defending your Holy land;
And Amalek, Yishmael, and Eisav pursue us with deadly schemes.
We don’t sit around and wait for things to get better miraculously.
We agonize over the fallen heroes, the brave men and women fighting Hamas in dense urban warfare as they are killed and injured.
We mourn the terrible loss of life and a war we didn't start or want.
We make our voice heard by our elected officials with texts, emails, and calls.
We expose the absurdity and corruption at the UN.
We support Jewish students on campus to feel safer and, in many cases, filing lawsuits against universities to demand protection.
We praise brave allies standing with the Jewish community in this time of great need.
We contribute critical funds to protect soldiers and support Israelis impacted by the horrific war.
We call out the bias of media organizations that repeat lies and untruths.
We bear witness to the savagery, rape, and murder of innocent civilians on October 7, 2023.
We scroll endlessly, looking for more information on what is happening in Israel and worldwide.
We share incredible and inspiring stories that come out of Israel.
We marvel at the creative campaigns generated to keep the issue of the 136 hostages in front of the world and Israel politicians. (A Shabbat table blocking the highway - you cannot help but smile and love Jews more for that one!)
We organize new groups to tackle new worldwide problems after October 7.
We demand that the world call for the release of all of the hostages and the surrender of Hamas.
We fly to Israel to show support, carrying duffle bags of clothing and other supplies.
We comfort and heal those traumatized by the murderous rampage.
We sing and make films, memes, and art to show our resilience and love of Israel and the Jewish people.
We do not stop coming up with new ways to advocate and try to push back the tsunami, the virus of antisemitism that spreads everywhere.
We wear symbols to remember the hostages.
We volunteer to work in the fields or medical facilities in Israel.
We cry every time another story is told of the horrors of those who perished on Oct. 7.
We are sobered by the new reality that we face after so many decades of relative tranquility for the Jewish people.
We grasp how Jews in Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East left everything behind for the hope of safety in Eretz Yisrael while it was ruled by the Ottoman or the British as we contemplate our security in the Diaspora.
We commit to lighting Shabbat candles and performing other mitzvot to bring more light and peace into our homes and world.
We increase our Torah study to guide our ways and inspire us to be connected more deeply to our faith and God.
We come out as Jews, unafraid of the consequences, walking in the footsteps of Queen Esther, who bravely risked everything to save her people.
We collaborate as a community like never before, realizing that our fates are intertwined and our infighting helps only those who hate us.
We dance at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs to celebrate life and to express our gratitude and fondness that we are Jews and that we have a special covenant, history, and connection.
We believe that ultimately, perpetrators of evil will be judged because we are “ma’aminim bnei ma’aminim,” believers who are the children of believers.
We pray, maybe not enough, but we call out to You, God of our Ancestors, for Divine assistance to protect Israel and the Jewish people, for the defeat of our enemies, and for a time of redemption for us and the world.
But is it enough, God? Are we doing enough to convince You that we would give everything we have if it meant the Jewish people could live in peace and an end to this hatred and violence?
Are our efforts adequate and directed appropriately? Or are we holding back, not entirely convinced that we can persuade You to cancel this harsh decree we have received?
Let’s settle this matter now, God, before more children are orphaned and more families torn apart, before more synagogues are desecrated and our holy Torahs burned, before more nations join the fight against small Israel in a sea of enemies before our friends turn on us, and resent us, before our allies abandon us.
And before we all understand that in You, alone, can we trust, and in You alone can we put our faith, in You, alone can we place our future.
As our righteous teacher of blessed memory, Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, pleaded our case before you - that we are prepared to forgive You, God, if You agree to forgive our sins.
And as Moshe pleaded our case before You when You wanted to destroy us after we worshiped a Golden Calf.
Relent from Your flaring anger and reconsider regarding the evil against Your people. Remember, for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself, and You told them, ‘I shall increase your offspring like the stars of heaven, and this entire land of which I spoke, I shall give to your offspring, and it shall be their heritage forever. (Exodus 32:11-13)
Please, God, look at Your People. Mi K’Amcha Yisrael.
As You forgave the Children of Israel in the desert, forgive us now, rescue us, save us, redeem us.
Shabbat Shalom