Dear Congregants –
This is the fourth Passover during the Iraq War. When we assemble for our seders, we will most certainly need to celebrate and laugh together around the table, even though I believe we cannot avoid mentioning the great sadness surrounding Iraq and our war. To that end, I offer you several readings about war and peace and justice. You can include them at any one of several points in your seder.
Rabbi Mark Shapiro
A Song of Peace
(You can open your Seder with this poem or the other readings in this section. If you don’t wish to open with these readings, think of another powerful spot in your seder to include them.)
This is my song, O God of the nations,
a song of peace for lands far,
and for mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams,
my holy shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
and sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as
blue as mine.
O hear my song, dear God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land
a song of peace for mine.
Lloyd Stone
Paint Box
I had a paint box
Each color glowing with delight.
I had a paint box with colors
Warm and cool and bright.
I had no red for wounds & blood
I had no black for an orphaned child
I had no white for the fate of the dead
I had no yellow for burning sands
I had orange for joy and life
I had green for buds and blooms
I had blue for clear bright skies
I had rose for dreams and rest
Then I sat me down - and painted
PEACE
By Tali Shurek of Israel (age 13)
A Prayer of Peace
(Adapted from a prayer composed by Rev. Suzanne Rudiselle, Reston, Virginia)
God of Mercy, we gather tonight in the midst of war. We pray for all those whose lives are at risk, all those on both sides of the battle lines who would do their duty to defend their countries. We pray for those who wait and watch and are powerless to move out of harm’s way. We pray for the children especially.
We pray for wisdom and humility for all of the world’s leaders. We ask that you touch the hearts of those leaders so that they may recommit themselves to the betterment of the world’s peoples, not in the image of one national ideology, but in concert with one another’s most just and loving ideals. Humankind has thus far failed in that task, O God, and so we ask you teach us again that what you require is only for us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. (Micah Chapter 6)
We ask your forgiveness, merciful God, for actions on our part that have fueled prejudice and hatred. We ask forgiveness for the arrogance of our, or any, nation which insists that it knows how the world must be. We ask forgiveness for the idols of power and might that we worship, and the false righteousness we pretend.
We pray for mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives -- families of those overseas whose loved ones may give their last full measure of devotion; give them strength and support in this time of uncertainty.
We pray for our children that they may discover the good in all people and not follow the ways of violence. We pray for us all that fear may be met with faith, and for the courage to follow your path to peace. Amen.