The Numbers of War and Peace:
My Kol Nidre Prayer
By Rabbi Judy Schindler
Consider the numbers linked to war
and the numbers allied with peace.
The Syrian numbers of strife:
100,000 killed
4.25 million displaced inside the country
Every 15 seconds a Syrian becomes a refugee
Adding up to 2 million forced to flee
1400 killed in a sarin gas attack,
among them
400 children.
Sarin, the deadly nerve gas
developed by the Nazis in 1938.
Sarin, used by Saddam Hussein
to kill thousands of Kurds in 1988.
The numbers of concerned neighbors and world citizens:
8 hours in an Israeli line to get a gas mask
2 more Iron Dome defense systems deployed to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
25 nations supporting a strong international response .
The numbers connected to our past:
11 million murdered, among them
6 million Jews, among them
1.5 million children.
And then there are the numbers of peace:
One God, one soul,
One man, one woman, one child
In Judaism, counting people is prohibited.
Numbers dehumanize,
Every soul is one.
When that one Syrian child asks,
“Where was the world?”
May we have an answer
that is worthy in God’s eyes,
and in our own.
Grant us wisdom,
grant us compassion,
grant us peace.
2 Responses
Wonderfully written and heartfelt, We think it is timely and timeless in its perspective.
Beautiful, sad, and inspiring, suggesting a road to hope among the numbers.