It has been a dark year, yet a remarkable one

The darkness of the Gaza war makes this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — whose English dates encircle October 7^th — more significant than ever.

In a Rosh Hashanah prophetic reading, we lament with Rachel, crying today as she did for her children millennia ago.

And on Yom Kippur we offer confessionals in the Al Chet (confession of sin) service, reminding us to assume responsibility, to evaluate how we may have gone astray.

In the same breath, there ought to, I believe, be a place in our prayers where we can step back, recognizing that while this year has indeed been a dark year, it has been a remarkable year.

And so, here is a humble attempt at a meditative prayerful Al Ahavah (On Love), reflecting with specificity the endless goodness and kindness coming from the Diaspora (first half) and Israel (second half), as our people, and all people of moral conscience contributed to a war that elicited the overflowing and boundless love of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.

The listing is not meant to exhaust feelings, but to inspire each of us to recall how we, hopefully, have expressed ahavat chinam (unconditional love) — and will resolve as well to do more in the coming year.

In this sense, our prayer attempts to mirror teshuvah (repentance) on its highest level. Teshuvah means to repent, to return, to turn things around, allowing us to move from a place of tears, to an introspective personal evaluation, to an uplifting declaration: “For the love we have shared” — worthy, in turn, of God‘s love.

* * *

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by standing strong with Israel as it was savagely attacked on that Dark Shabbat of October 7^th.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by acting: praying, giving, lobbying, marching for our beleaguered sisters and brothers.

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by speaking out with Jewish conscience, moral conscience, against spiraling antisemitism.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by wearing our kippot, stars and chais, proud of our Jewish identity despite threats and intimidation.

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by supporting and defending the IDF as it does all it can to fight a just war justly, true to its mission of tohar ha-neshek, purity of arms.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by praying for the wounded, mourning with the bereaved, honoring the fallen, Jew, Druze, Arab, Bedouin, each an individual, a name not a number.

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by demanding freedom for the hostages throughout this entire year.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by posting their pictures, displaying day after day the count of their captivity — in our synagogues and schools, on our shirts, on our streets, in our souls — celebrating with Noa when she was rescued, along with Almog, Andrey and Shlomi, and tearing kriyah in our hearts when Hersh, Eden, Ori, Alex, Almog, and Carmel were brutally executed.

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by the coming together of Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), recognizing an attack against one Jew is an attack against all Jews.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by the reawakening of the pintele yid, the spark of the Jewish soul — may this awakening turn into a proactive light.

Al Ahavah: For the overflowing love we shared by visiting Israel once, twice, alone, with family, with missions – never getting enough.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the overflowing love we shared by stepping in for reservists, harvesting their fields, overseeing their shops, running their businesses – stepping in, stepping up.

Ana Hashem

Elohei Ha’ahavah Ha’shofa’at

Rachem Aleinu, Azor Lanu,

Fros Sukkat Shalom Aleinu

Please, O Lord,

God of overflowing love,

Have mercy on us, Help us,

Spread over us Your canopy of peace

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as they defended the Moledet, the Homeland, sacrificing life and limbs, contributing mightily to the free world’s war against terror.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis, as Avichail Reuven, an Ethiopian Jew who didn’t have a car, ran eight miles to Gaza on October 7^th. With few arms in hand, he, along with countless other selfless Israelis rushed south to protect their brethren.

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as reservists in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, even 70s, dropped everything to return to their units, leaving their homes, their families, their work — for days, weeks, months.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis as tens of thousands came to the funeral of Rose Lubin and other lone soldiers declaring, you are not “lone”; we are one, we are your sisters and brothers.

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as hundreds of thousands continuously gather, demanding “Let the Hostages Go Now”

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis, as Sapir Cohen, a released hostage, shared the moment when terrorists showed her footage of a large Tel Aviv demonstration, acknowledging that when divided we are vulnerable, but when united we cannot be beat.

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as volunteers set up welcoming rest stops, serving thousands of meals daily to soldiers as they cross from Gaza into Israel for a brief respite.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis, as Iris, mother of Yotam — a hostage killed by friendly fire welcomed soldiers to her home, “to hug you and tell you that what you did, however sad, was apparently the right thing at that moment. We love you very much, and that is all.”

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as hotels opened their doors for evacuees for months on end, creating pop-up schools, shuls, and venues for bar/bat mitzvahs and weddings.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis as Ben Binyamin and Gali Segal, who both lost their right legs when terrorists lobbed grenades on October 7th — after months of rehabilitation — walked down the aisle to their chuppah.

Al Ahavah: For the boundless love shown by Israelis as they enlisted, serving, some in the IDF, others volunteering wherever, however needed — giving, setting the example for all to respond to grievous loss with love, with life.

Ve-al Ahavah: And for the boundless love shown by Israelis as Alon, a jewelry-maker who lost his son, Adir, in battle, enlisted himself to gift diamond rings to IDF soldiers marrying. In his words, “Adir won’t build a home in Israel, but because of him, a lot of people will.”