YOM HAATZMAUT PRAYER

Independence Day, and for this time we are given. May all pain cease and all anxiety wane. May the Divine bless this day, and may humankind sanctify it. For on this day, we call to mind this precious opportunity: to see our reality with responsible eyes, and to sanctify all being. To give thanks for the Land of Israel, for our nation, and for our hope. At this moment, as our eyes weep bitter tears, may our hearts find a portion of sober joy.

May we remember and honor all those who take up the struggle to defend the Jewish people: women and men of valor, heroes in body and spirit, on the battlefield and in the ranks of resistance to the rising tide of antisemitism. We are grateful for all who thus dedicate their hearts and minds and arms, whether near or far, in the Land of Israel or in the Diaspora.

May we honor all who support us, through their generosity and encouragement. May we remember the history of the Jewish People, and the responsibility that this history confers upon us, as individuals, as communities, and as a nation.

Between sorrow and joy, between suffering and hope, in all our remembrances, let us be grateful for our freedom; and especially in this year of warfare, let us sanctify the paths of responsibility.
You have chosen us through your love, bestowing on us the duty of remembrance. And so we recall our Exodus from Egypt in times past, and all the sacred works of your creation, as we live in hope, and become ever more responsible for our own present and the future of all created beings. Blessed are You, O Infinite Divine, Who sanctifies this moment, and all time.

Translated by Dr. Henry R. Carse