In 2011-2012, I spent my first year of cantorial school living in Jerusalem, which was undoubtedly the most magical and memorable year of my life (with the exception being this past special year with my daughter, Ruby). I studied and spoke Hebrew every day, enjoyed living on the rhythm of the Jewish calendar, davened (prayed) at many different synagogues enjoying a variety of musical traditions, and absolutely fell in love with the land and the people (as well as my wonderful husband, Adam, who I met that year). It was a relatively peaceful year, Jerusalem existing in its own quiet and mystical rhythm, and I was lucky and blessed to be safe walking the streets of my favorite city for eleven sweet months. Jerusalem is my forever home and a part of my heart is, as Yehuda HaLevi so perfectly put it, always in the East.
While we are greatly uplifted by the recently signed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, we continue to pray for the land of our People Israel and for the preservation of peace. Every Shabbat here at Stephen Wise Temple, we include in our services a prayer for the safety of the State of Israel and those who dwell in it. Today, I am honored to share an interpretation of our Hashkiveinu prayer, written by my colleague Rabbi Sandra Stock Mayo, with the special intention that her words may be a beacon of light and hope for all of us who continue to pray for Medinat Yisrael:
Help us to lie down at night in comfort, safety, and peace
May the dreams of our children be sweet tonight and tomorrow and the day after
May the future be bright for them
and for their children
and for generations to come
Grant us the ability to rest after long days of work and worry
Give us the chance to let our souls be at peace
and give us the grace to know how to separate from the things
we cannot control
Allow us to quiet our bodies and our minds
as we drift away from the mundane and enter into a sacred dreamscape
Spread over us the shelter of your comforting presence
Help us to know that it is okay to let go
To breathe, to be – just to be
Journey with us into our sublime subconsciousness
and let us live in this liminal space of neither here nor there
For when we are with you
we are never truly alone
Guide us, watch over us, protect us
Allow us to rise in the morning with the fragrance of a new dawn
A chance to hope, to create ourselves anew
Again and again and again.
May this be a meaningful addition to your own prayers and intentions, and may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be heard by God and our love and support felt by our brothers and sisters in the East.
— Cantor Emma Lutz