Diaspora Jews have for centuries added a special prayer to our prayerbooks for the monarchs, leaders, and institutions that provided us safe haven as an oft-persecuted minority. When those institutions fractured, our people wrote new prayers. We are in such a time. The Twin Cities and greater Minnesota have been under siege for months by our own federal government. When my rabbi, Aaron Weininger of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, invited a group of adult learners to draft a new prayer for the country, I thought that Mussar might provide the right lens.
Mussar is a Jewish spiritual practice that involves applying ethical values and Jewish text to strengthen bonds between ourselves, others, and the Divine. When other social norms seem to unravel, I believe ethics provide a common language across cultural and religious differences. Ethical principles also remind us of our human connections and our ultimate responsibility to live in harmony with one another for the good of the planet. The ethical principles of Mussar are not simply part of our daily personal spiritual practice. These values have broad implications for all of us: our community, our society, as people of the world.
We are living through a time of transformation. The world we once knew is being disrupted and dismantled. As a student of Mussar, I also see rebirth on the distant horizon. May this prayer be a blessing and a roadmap to a better future, one that we build together.
Trust. We trust in you, the creator, who has given us the incomparable blessing of the world and of our lives. Help us remember that we are partners in this world to bring about wholeness here on earth. Strengthen us that we may strive together to bring more peace, security, and comfort to all our fellow human beings.
Obligation. We know we cannot do this healing work alone. We need community to help us to be ever watchful and awake to the needs of one another. Bless our government and its institutions, national, state, and local, that they may help us fulfill our responsibilities to one another.
Goodness. We pray that our government prioritizes the preciousness and goodness of human life and the sanctuary of our Earth home, which are the fundamental gifts of creation. Raise up and support institutions that strive to protect human freedoms here and worldwide.
Courage. We pray for the security that the government can provide us in our homes, in our schools, in our workplaces, in our streets. Bless the hands of all those who protect us at home and abroad from enemies and evil doers. May we act as a nation and as individuals with a courageous and wise heart to bring about a better, more sustainable world.
Solidarity. We believe that the many are one in this United States and throughout the world. May our government and its leaders enable and fund organizations that strive to build a web of interconnection. May we be bound together in solidarity and mutuality to see one another’s burdens and be of service to each other. Let us honor our different histories, beliefs, and cultures, while harnessing our universal need to live together in understanding and cooperation. May these institutions be a scaffold for the order and security our nation needs to live wholly and well. Honor, reward, and strengthen those who serve this country in all capacities, from the highest levels of military service to neighborhood volunteer outreach.
Justice. Justice, justice shall you pursue. Build up wisdom in our judges and all those who render legal decisions. Ground those who make decisions on behalf of us all to be guided by impartiality and even-handedness.
Frugality. Each individual’s contribution is a treasure to the whole of our nation. Endow our government to be good stewards of their gifts, their resources, and the livelihoods they dedicate to the common good. May our leaders have the foresight to envision and implement long-term stability for our economy and conservation of our precious human and earthly resources.
Deliberation. Grant our government and all those in authority, as well as each one of us, the power of discernment. Help guide our speech with thoughtfulness and allow us always to seek to hear the voice of others in our decision-making. May our leaders seek wide counsel as they deliberate the path ahead. May our collective voice be true. Grant our country the vigor and endurance to implement rightful actions, to build universal trust in our democratic institutions, and to assure the order and security that they provide.
Our strength and direction come when we walk together through the narrow places, hand in hand with you, our creator, and with one another.
Heidi Schneider is a writer and a teacher who lives in Golden Valley.
Beautiful and meaningful.
So heartfelt and beautifully written, Heidi.
What a beautiful and soaring prayer of aspiration and hope. I cannot help but think of how far we stand from the prayer’s adjurations.
What an impactful and aspirational prayer for the healing and welfare of our country. I think that Heidi’s enumeration of specific areas deserving strength and resolve is a meaningful way to engage us all in the tasks that confront us.
Lovely, Heidi. Thank you.