A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Orlando Mass Shooting

I offered a prayer on behalf of the Denver Jewish Community at a solidarity vigil for the victims of the terrorist attack that took place last night in Orlando.  Joining me in prayer were Imam Ali of the Denver Islamic Center and Reverend Amanda Henderson of Interfaith colorado. Most of Denver and the State of Colorado's elected officials were in the program as well as representatives of the LGBTQ community. Here are my words:

A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Tragedy in Orlando

Rabbi Joseph R. Black – Temple Emanuel – Denver, CO

June 12, 2016

Our God and God of all people:

God of the rich and God of the poor,

God of the powerful and God of the powerless,

God of those who have no God.

This is a sacred time for the Jewish and Islamic communities.

Last night and today, Jews all around the world celebrated the festival of Shavuot, or Pentecost – where we gave thanks and celebrated the gift of Divine revelation through the Torah.

Our Muslim sisters and brothers are the midst of the sacred month of Ramadan.  They, too, are celebrating the gift of God’s revelation in the Koran.

This is a time when we are acutely aware of the potential for good in the world.  This is a time when Your children are open to the Universal messages of peace and love found in our sacred texts.

But as the horror in Orlando has once again shown us, and as we have seen all too often:  In France, in Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and in locales too numerous to mention, there are those who refuse to see the holiness of all of Your creation.

When fear and hatred become the filters through which Your hopes for humanity are received we all are diminished.

And so we come here tonight - numb with grief and disbelief.  Once again, violence and the carnage brought about by the deadly combinations of hatred, intolerance and easy access to weapons of destruction have transformed mothers, fathers, lovers, spouses, relatives and friends into mourners. 

Tonight, we are all mourners.  The categories which once defined us – who we love, how we love; where we pray and when we pray; the languages we speak and the music we sing have melted into the common parlance of our anger and our grief.

We are here tonight to show solidarity.

We are here tonight to proclaim the inherent goodness in all of your creation.

We are here because we have to be here – to see within each others’ eyes the determination to stand up to hatred, bigotry and inhumanity.  Tonight we grieve – tomorrow we work to tear down the walls of intolerance that too many want to build.

Baruch Ahtah Adonai, she bara et ha-adam b’tzalmo.  We praise You, Eternal – who has created all humanity in your image.  AMEN 

Another Prayer in the Atermath of Tragedy

Another Prayer in the Atermath of Tragedy.

On this 6^th day of Hanukah, we pray for all those who were affected by the terrible events that took place at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Our hearts are breaking as we read the news of the tragic deaths of young children and adults.  Tonight, as we kindle lights in observance of Hanukah and Shabbat, the brightness of our celebration is eclipsed by the horror of these events.

Once again, we have seen how one person with easy access to firearms can unleash the demons that plague his soul upon unsuspecting innocents.

Once again our nation is in shock as we comprehend the immensity of a tragedy that could have easily been prevented.

How many times must a massacre like this occur before we realize that the epidemic of violence which plagues our society must be stopped?

When will the time be right to address the root causes of random and senseless violence?

When will those who reap power and profit from the sale and manufacture of deadly assault weapons be called to account for their manipulative propaganda?

Now is time to use the shock, anger and grief that we feel in the wake of this tragedy to demand laws that restrict and prohibit the sale and easy access to weapons of mass destruction in our society.

Tonight we will celebrate the power of the few against the many – the powerless against the powerful.  As we light our hanukiot, let us also raise our voices in grief and demand that action be taken to rid our nation of this scourge.

O God who dwells in the hearts and minds of all who seek Your presence, we ask your guidance and comforting presence in this time of trouble.  Give us the strength to bring peace into Your troubled world.

AMEN