A Prayer for Right Now
Rabbi Menachem Creditor
Oh, God, how can any of this be?
How can people act in such depraved, evil ways?
These images, seared into my eyes, should never be, never have been. And yet, they are now in me forever.
Everywhere I turn,
someone's grandmother has been kidnapped,
someone's sister has been murdered,
someone's student has been murdered,
a mayor has been murdered,
atrocities upon children
atrocities upon the bodies of our sisters and brothers...
those who survived
hid in dark rooms for 10 hours of terrified silence
evoking trauma I dare not name
and dare not forget
and mad glee in the eyes of terrorists,
celebrations of terrible hurt caused.
Oh, God, save me from the rage and grief overwhelming me. Push me to seek strict justice, even through force, but save me from my soul's ache for revenge.
May the evil ones be wiped from the earth.
May our children and grandparents and students and friends be brought home in safety.
May we somehow emerge from this.
God, please.
Just anything, God, please.
But not this.
not this.
