Patriots and Blessings
At Jewish Newport
April 25, 2020
Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel
and at
Hello everyone!
I hope you are in good health and being safe.
Welcome to Shabbat. Let’s do the best we can to step away from the current crisis.
Monday was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts and in three other states. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts established the holiday in 1894. It commentrates the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Battle of Menotomy (Arlington, Massachusetts), the first battles of the American Revolution. The battle of Menotomy was the bloodiest. 5100 militia men from Middlesex and Essex Counties hid in houses, stone walls, fields and barns. In one house 11 militiamen died. Watch the video!
If you have a sister in Lexington, as I do, you will have gone to the town common at 6:00 AM to see the Lexington part of the Battle re-enacted. This year the re-enactment was replaced by a video which is both fun and moving. When watching, consider going into the settings ( a cog wheel) and going viewing it at 2x. Do you see my sister Beth Levine in the video? It’s nice to have a star in the family.
Did I mention that Patriots’ Day is also Boston Marathon Day?
Rabbi Marc Mandel shared a brief Torah message with us,
“While the world searches for a vaccine for Covid-19, there are other things that we can do that don't require a prescription or have side effects. We can pray. Jews have always had prayer in their tool kits - why should things be different now? There have been several new prayers that have recently been composed for our current situation. Here is one below.”
The poem was written by Rabbi Peretz Rodman who lives in Jerusalem and edited by Ze’ev Kainan. Rabbi Rodman is a New Englander, whose grandparents lived in Bristol. I met him when I was picking up my son at Camp Ramah in Palmer, Massachusetts. When I go to Israel, we make a point of getting together.
תפילה לרפואה בעת הזאת
רוֹפֵא חוֹלִים, רְפָא נָא לָנוּ.
הַגְבֵּר אֶת רוּחֵנוּ וְטַע בָּנוּ חֹסֶן
ֹשֶיַּעֲבִירֵנוּ בַּמַּגֵּפָה בְּשָׁלוֹם.
רְפָא-נָא לַגּוּף ֹשֶל כָּל מִי ֹשֶהֻכָּה בַּנְּגִיף
וּרְפָא נָא לַנֶּפֶֹש ֹשֶל כָּל מִי ֹשֶסּוֹבֵל.
רְפָאֵנוּ וְנֵרָפֵא, הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ וְנִוָֹּשֵעַ, כִּי גוֹאֵל חָזָק אָתָּה.
מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים, עָזְרֵנוּ בִּימֵי הֶסְגֵּר.
בְּעֵת נְעִילַת ֹשַעֲרֵי בָּתֵינוּ, פְּתַח לָנוּ אֶת ֹשַעֲרֵי לִבֵּנוּ.
ֹשַחְרְרֵנוּ מִכָּל פַּחַד וַחֲרָדָה.
מוֹרִיד הַטַּל, בָּרְכֵנוּ בְּאָבִיב רַךְ, בַּאֲוִיר צַח,
בְּחַלּוֹנוֹת פְּתוּחִים עַל יַד הַדְּלָתוֹת הַסְּגוּרוּת.
בַּעַל גְּבוּרוֹת, מִי דוֹמֶה-לָךְ? מֶלֶךְ מֵמִית וּמְחַיֶּה וּמַצְמִיחַ יְֹשוּעָה.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, בַּעַל הַגְּבוּרוֹת וְרַב לְהוֹשִׁיעַ.
חיבר: פרץ רודמן, ערך: זאב קינן
A Prayer for Healing in the Current Situation
Healer of all who are ill, grant us healing.
Strengthen our spirit, and plant within us resilience
that will carry us through this plague in peace.
Heal the body of everyone struck with the threatening virus,
and heal the souls of all who suffer.
Heal us and we shall be healed, save us and we shall be saved,
for You are a mighty rescuer.
You who free all who are bound up, help us in these days of quarantine.
As the gates of our homes are shut, open for us the gates of our hearts.
Liberate us from all fear and anxiety.
You who bring down the dew, bless us with a soft spring, with fresh air,
with open windows beside the closed doors.
Master of mighty deeds, who is like You?
You are a ruler who brings us both death and life
and makes our salvation flourish.
Praised are You, master of mighty deeds and abundant salvation.
- translation of a Hebrew prayer composed by Peretz Rodman and edited by Ze’ev Kainan
Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!
