Mi Sheberach A Healing Prayer for Us All - Rabbi Sandra Lawson
“Every one of us is a cantor; every one of us is called to intone a song, to put into prayer the anguish of all.” - Abraham Joshua Heschel
When my journey to becoming a rabbi began, I found musical inspiration in Jewish prayer, which started me on a musical journey of singing, writing, and playing music. Songwriting allows me to express my joy, grief, and sadness of the world around me.
Today I find myself in a pretty unique position. I'm a rabbi, a Jewish faith leader, a sought-after public speaker, and in subtle and often not so subtle ways, people still treat me like an outsider in the Jewish community. No matter what I do, I am often not seen as Jewish or seen as less than Jewish, or our community is not ready for a black rabbi. These are constant reminders that I live in a society that sees my blackness before seeing me or getting to know me.
For almost four years now, the leader of our country is a man who expresses racist, xenophobic and misogynistic views making people who look like me fearful. And he has led a racist environment that harkens back to the good ole days with the phrase Make America Great Again. This phrase can only mean a time in America when white people felt they were the dominant culture and group in our society. Black people were either enslaved, suffered under Jim Crow in the south, and redlining throughout the rest of the country.
When CNN announced the winner of the 2020 presidential election, I cried. I cried, and I felt like I had been holding my breath for days waiting for the results; today, I am hopeful our country is moving in the right direction
In Judaism, we offer a Mi Sheberach prayer for those who are ill or recovering from a sickness. I offer this song as a prayer for healing for all of us. Our country is sick. We are sick from an actual pandemic, and we are sick from a society that values some more than others. And we need healing from COVID-19, and America is waking up to the idea that we are also sick from racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Now that we know we are sick we can begin to heal and after almost four years I Am Hopeful Again.
Transcript
Even though I don’t spend every waking hour thinking about my identities, I am well aware that I live in a world that sees my blackness before they see me or get to know me, and my Jewishness often represents a threat.
Mi Sheberach Avoteinu Avraham, Yitzkhak v’Ya’akov
Mi Sheberach Imoteinu Sara, Rivka, Rachel v’Leah,
Hu y’varekh v’yirapeh et kol ha-holim,
Hu y’varekh v’yirapeh et hakol.
Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu yimalei rachamim aleihem,
May the one who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
May the one who Blessed our ancestors Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah,
bless and heal those who are ill. May the Blessed Holy One be filled with compassion for them
MIsheberach Avoteinu
Misheberach I’moteinu
Please bless those in need of healing
HaKadosh Baruch Hu
May the one who Blessed our Mothers
And who Blessed our Fathers
We need you to hear our cry
HaKadosh Baruch Hu
The God of Wholeness
The God of Wonder
Please teach me and give me strength
HaKadosh Baruch Hu
El Shaddai Adonai
I need you to heal the world
And make it right
I want to live in a world full of song and hope
Where my children can play and not have to cope
Please bless us and give us healing
HaKadosh
HaKadosh
HaKadosh Baruch Hu
Special Thanks to:
Susan Hurrey
Elon University Truitt Center
Unsplash
John Cameron
Glen Carrie
Chris Boese
Marcus Spiske
Breanna Louis
Melany Rochester
Miko Guziuk
Katie Moum
AussieActive
Kyle Cleveland
Nathan Dumlao
Mi Pham
A Healing Prayer for Us All (Mi Sheberach)
Written and performed by Rabbi Sandra Lawson www.rabbisandralawson.com/
Spotify - open.spotify.com/album/350Qmw...
@PaigeCapo www.paigecapo.com
#Misheberach
#RabbiSandra #Judaism #Prayer
4 дек 2020
