A Prayer for September 11

Photo by Wikipedia/U.S. Air Force photo/Denise Gould

I first posted this prayer on the 10th Anniversary of the September 11 attack, one year ago.

Eternal God, / Source and Creator of Life; / From the depths we have called to you / and we call to you again for courage, strength and wisdom on this  anniversary of our nation's tragedy.

Grant us courage to confront our enemies. / Comfort those who stand alone without spouse, parent, brother, sister, or friend. / Open our hearts to them and to the children orphaned ten years ago today. / Enable us to love more deeply all children who suffer. / Accept with mercy our prayers of healing on behalf of the families of the victims / and on behalf of the first responders who became ill at Ground Zero.

Despite the horror and tragedy of 9/11, / our country remains a shelter of peace, / a symbol of freedom, / a beacon light of compassion and justice / to the downtrodden and oppressed of the world.

Strengthen the hands of our people to defend this country / and our common values of freedom and justice. / Inspire our leaders and diplomats / to act wisely and to pursue peace everywhere in the world.

May we teach our children to learn and to think, / To consider and to reason, / To be courageous in thought and in deed, / And to nurture hearts of wisdom / That they may do battle against fear, hatred and bigotry / Using weapons of the spirit and loving hearts.

We offer our prayers / on behalf of our country and government, our President and judiciary, / our officials and institutions, our soldiers and citizens, / upon all who faithfully toil for the good of our country, to preserve democracy in our land, / to advocate for civility between adversaries, and to treat every human being / as infinitely worthy and dignified / by virtue of being created / B’tzelem Elohim, in the Divine image.

Bestow upon us all the blessings of peace, / and may we live to see the day / when swords will be converted into plowshares / and nations will not learn war anymore. / Amen!

By Rabbi John L. Rosove, Temple Israel of Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA