Dear Friends,
This week we conclude the reading of the first of the Five Books of Moses, the book of Genesis. As we conclude the reading of each of the Five Books of Moses, we customarily recite: Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek [Be Strong, Be Strong, and we shall strengthen one another].
In the spirit of Chazak Chazak, I share with you my thoughts for our transition from 2020 to 2021.
As we usher in the new year 2021, we pray for physical and for spiritual healing and for the on-going and improved health of all our members, our friends, our loved ones, and of our broader community. We mourn the losses we have suffered during 2020 and we celebrate the strength of community that helps us meet the challenges of the day.
Despite our need to reinvent ourselves in so many ways, we are nevertheless connected. We are here for one another. Our powerful, ancient, and eternally relevant tradition helps us to look toward the future with creativity, with hope and with faith.
As the Covid-19 vaccine is rolled out in Virginia, I share with you two prayers recently published by the Conservative/Masorti Movement in Israel where the vaccine rollout is moving ahead full steam. The first prayer is to be recited by those administering the vaccine. The second prayer is to be recited by those being vaccinated.
These two prayers exemplify the depth of Jewish tradition, our ability to apply our traditional Jewish sources to the present day, and the continued creativity of our people within our tradition.
Please feel free to use these prayers as you see fit. You may want to adapt them, to shorten them or to augment them with language that flows from the depths of your heart. You may simply want to read them and allow yourself to absorb their message.
No matter how you use these prayers, my hope is that they inspire us all to do our part and to hold fast to our magnificent Jewish tradition – for in it we, along with previous and subsequent generations, may find a tremendous source of strength, of courage, and of hope.
Here are the two prayers, and may we be inspired to continue to help one another and to connect with one another as we enter 2021!
Prayer Recited by those Administering The Vaccine:
“I praise the ETERNAL with all my heart
in the assembled congregation of the upright” (Psalm 111).
God who answers in times of distress and saves,
“Healer of broken hearts who binds their wounds” (Psalm 147),
Who shares divine wisdom with flesh and blood
and has given us understanding, science and discernment to create this vaccine:
May it be Your will that through the power of this act
I will merit healing and saving lives of all the living,
and be able to fulfill the teaching,
“whoever saves a single life… saves an entire world” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5)
as it is written:
“I am going to bring her relief and healing” (Jeremiah 33).
Praised are You who brings healing to all flesh and does wonders.
Prayer for People Being Vaccinated
God who answers in times of distress and saves,
“Healer of broken hearts who binds their wounds” (Psalm 147),
who shares divine wisdom with flesh and blood
and has given us understanding, science and discernment to create this vaccine:
May it be Your will that through the power of this human effort
aided by God who graciously grants humans knowledge
and teaches mortals understanding, science and discernment
that I merit health and resilience
so that these verses may be fulfilled for us:
“I have removed illness from your midst”
“for I the ETERNAL am your healer” (Exodus 23; 15).
“Let them praise the ETERNAL
for God’s steadfast love and wondrous deeds for humanity” (Psalm 107).
Praised are You who brings healing to all flesh and does wonders.
To these prayers, I add: Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek [Be Strong, Be Strong, and we shall strengthen one another]!
Shabbat Shalom and welcome to 2021!
Rabbi Gilah Dror
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