A NEW PRAYER FOR OUR COUNTRY/ A PRAYER FOR OUR NEW COUNTRY: ON BEGINNING THE BOOK OF EXODUS

RABBI DANIELLE UPBIN

We the people, One nation under God, turn to You, our Protector, our Rock and Redeemer. Guide us through the Exile of what this nation has become- Grasping for glimmers of light in a time of darkness, plague, death and distortion. Salvage Truth, who has become a stifled mute, drowning offshore in the shadows of Lady Liberty’s torch. God of our Ancestors, You once answered the agonized cry of an enslaved people, writhing under the hardship of tortuous taskmasters. You remembered them, performed miracles for them, and raised them up to be Your people. God who pierced through history with a Strong Hand and an Outstretched Arm, Remember us. Bless us with Your Grace and saving power. Amidst the tumult of a teetering democracy, we cry out now. From the horror that is a land of fear, dividing our country, we ask: Ad matai? How much suffering is enough? This, too, is a prayer. We, who had been standing on the precipice of a new beginning, a vaccine of hope, ask that You see us through to a life of peace, healing and reconciliation for all. Ha’Makom - God of this Place and of all Places, Our America is also Holy Ground. We have turned to see, but the fire is raging and consuming. Deliver us on Eagle’s wings, the symbol of this great Nation. Hineni. We are ready. Will You call? God above, protect our democracy and our ideals of liberty and justice, shelter our institutions and our nation’s leaders. Free us, save us, redeem us, deliver us, and bring us to safety. Amen.