A message of prayer

To the very dear Kehillat Nashira community,

Once again, we're watching from afar as worrying news unfolds with Israel's strikes on Iran last night. After almost two years of huge loss of life and trauma in Israel and Gaza, and a shift in the fabric of what it means to be Jewish, this latest news feels like the ground is moving yet again, with huge potential consequences. For those of us with family and friends in Israel, this will be a particularly unsettling time. I pray that all we love will remain safe in body and spirit and that Israel will be blessed with wisdom, protection and safety now and always. 

It's hard to know what to do in times like these, but I offer the following suggestions:

• Give to charities who you know are working towards greater safety for all - hospitals, ambulances and the peacemakers. 

  
  

• Pray. In particular, head to Tehillim - Psalms 20, 85, 121, 130 and 142 are among many appropriate ones. And prayers from your heart are even better. 

  
  

• Don't doomscroll. Set yourself boundaried times to check the news and social media. Being stressed yourself won't help anything. 

  
  

• Come together with other people in an atmosphere of support, and not an atmosphere of working up extra worry.

  
  

• Do positive actions, however small, to make this world a little better. 

  
  

Hashem Yishmor - may Hashem guard those making the big decisions, imbuing them with discernment and care, and may Hashem protect all who are in danger. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Miriam