A Meditation for Israel’s 71 years
based on Leviticus 19
May our striving to be holy, like God,
Enable all people to see the divine image in themselves
and in neighbors of all faiths, all backgrounds,
and to realize that their fate and future
are intricately bound one to another
in a sea of potential holiness.
May parents teach children to explore
inside and outside of their immediate community
So that their understanding of the people who live
near and around them
Will unfold in a way that will lead to cooperation,
commonality, and hope.
May people extend their hands to those in need,
Leaving the corners of their hearts open
to the feelings of having been a stranger, a newcomer,
or the experience of being a person struggling to make ends meet
as a new arrival,
or the struggle to seek full acceptance as a member of society.
May relations among all citizens be based on honesty,
dialogue, and facing conflict head-on in order
to produce progress that could benefit everyone in the land.
Under a vast shelter of holiness, may people keep their eyes open
to see one another as a human beings
and keep their ears inclined to hear calls for improvement in the
quality of life
that could benefit entire communities.
May holy words that are spoken in the land
inspire the sharing of opinions and information based on truth and
forthrightness.
May violence, grudge-bearing and a desire for revenge
be channeled towards a new destination
Through a retelling of personal stories
that could become part of a shared narrative
To be recounted again and again.
May a vision of holiness guide the land’s inhabitants to strive
to love one another as themselves
now and for the generations to come.
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