This week's portion: integration
Eboo Patel on the call to pluralism

A Prayer for Voting - from R' David Seidenberg

Reb David Seidenberg (of the terrific neohasid.org) has posted a revised 2008 version of his beautiful prayer for voting, in Hebrew and English. Here's the English version:


Prayer for Voting

With my vote today I am prepared and intending
    to seek peace for this country, as it is written:

"Seek out the peace of the city where I cause you to roam
and pray for her sake to Yah Adonai, for in her peace you all will have peace."
(Jer. 29:7)

May it be Your will that votes will be counted faithfully
    and may You account my vote as if I had fulfilled this verse with all my power.

May it be good in Your eyes to give a wise heart
    to whomever we elect today
    and may You raise for us a government whose rule is for good and blessing
    to bring justice and peace to all the inhabitants of the world and to Jerusalem,
    for rulership is Yours!

Just as I participated in elections today
    so may I merit to do good deeds and repair the world with all my actions,
    and with the act of...[fill in your pledge] which I pledge to do today
    on behalf of all living beings and in remembrance of the covenant of Noah's waters
    to protect and to not destroy the earth and her plenitude.

May You give to all the peoples of this country, the strength and will
    to pursue righteousness and to seek peace as unified force
    in order to cause to flourish, throughout the world, good life and peace
    and may You fulfill for us the verse:

"May the pleasure of Yah Adonai our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands for us, may the work of our hands endure."
(Ps. 90:17)


You can find the prayer here; that page includes the English version alongside links to an interlinear Hebrew-and-English version in .doc and .pdf formats. I'm especially moved by the reference to Noah's waters -- as you know if you read this week's Torah poem (or if you keep up with the Jewish weekly lectionary), we're reading the story of Noah this week, which makes this feel all the more timely.

May we be blessed in in the process of democracy -- and in its outcome.


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