Tears and Rain: A Prayer for Success in War

We prayed for rain,
And we got tears.

Yes, we said the ancient words –
משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם
Masheev ha’ruach u’moreed hagashem –
Acknowledging God as the One
Who makes the rain fall
And the wind blow,
But we got tears,
So many tears
Flowing like rain
That would not relent.
Tears for the dead.
Tears for the wounded.
Tears for the kidnapped,
And tears for the captives.
Tears for the soldiers.
Tears for the reservists.
Tears for our sons.
Tears for our daughters.
Tears for our friends,
And tears for our families.
Tears for our nation.
Tears for our people.
So many tears.

So many tears.

God, who makes the rain fall,
God, who makes tears on earth,
Send us Your tears from heaven,
But only if You send them
As blessings,
Only if You send them as signs
That You will be with us
As we defend our nation,
That You will be with us
As we fight to end the terror
That dwells in our midst,
The terror that still lurks at our doorstep.

© 2023 Alden Solovy