May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, that You abolish all wars and bloodshed from this world and extend a great and wonderful peace in the world. Nations shall not lift up the sword against one another, neither shall they learn to make war any more. May all the inhabitants of this universe acknowledge the one great truth; that we have not come into this world for friction and dissension, nor enmity and jealousy and vexation and bloodshed. We have come into the world solely that we might know You, eternally blessed One.

And therefore have mercy upon us that through us the written word will become a reality. “And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; I will give the land respite from vicious beasts and no sword shall cross your land.” (Leviticus 26:6) “But let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream.” (Amos.5:24) “For the land shall be filled with devotion to Adonai as water covers the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9)

By The Blue Dove Foundation. Based on the prayer of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, from Siddur Ha’avodah She’ba’lev, Service of the Heart.

Jewish prayers and rituals can help to strengthen our mental well-being and resilience. For those who connect with prayer, it can be a meaningful way toward healing. Prayer can help us channel our thoughts into concrete action, projecting our care, love and hope out into the world.

1. Find a space where you can calm your mind, either sitting or standing. In the Jewish prayer tradition, a core component of the three daily prayer services is called the Amida, the standing prayer, which can serve as a meaningful model for a prayer stance. You stand with your feet planted on the ground and your legs together and pray for the collective well-being of their community.
2. Close your eyes and meditate on your anxieties and hopes, and breathe. Another core component of the Jewish prayer service is the Shema, which we recite with our eyes closed, to create a space where we can concentrate and hear the words of our prayers.
3. Once you have reached a state of relative calm, recite whatever prayer you like – or a personal prayer of your own – in whatever language you are most comfortable with.
4. Sometimes there are no words that can truly capture the range of emotions we feel, and that is OK. In the Hasidic tradition, there is a concept of silent meditation and unstructured prayer called “Hitbodedut,” which was popularized by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Practiced by many people daily, Hitbodedut is a silent prayer where one pours out their hearts and feelings to God in a private space. Regarding someone who is unable to find the right words, Rebbe Nachman suggested: “Even when one cannot speak at all, or says only a single word—it is also very good!” (Likutei Moharan, Part II 96:1)

By The Blue Dove Foundation

May the One who blessed our fighters Joshua, David and Judah, Deborah, Yael and Judith, bless (Insert Name Here) who has been called to active service. May it be Your will, Adonai our God, that they be guided safely and protected every enemy and harm. May their path be successful and guard their going out and coming in to life and peace now and forever. And let us say: Amen.

Adapted by The Blue Dove Foundation from the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism’s siddur