Service for Unity, in connection with the Jewish people
Thursday, February, 3rd, 2022
Meditation
Yedid Nefesh, “Lover of the soul”
“The principle of light is the Creator (…). We read at the end of Psalm 36 : ”in your light do we This liturgical poem was composed in the 16th century by Rabbi Elazar Azikri. Sung during the Shabbat, it evokes the intense love that one must feel for God. Each of the four verses has as its first letter one of the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, the unspoken Name of God.
Verse 1 (Youd)
Beloved of the soul, the Father of Compassion,
draw Your servant to Your Will;
Your servant will hurry like a hart
to bow before Your majesty;
to him Your friendship will be sweeter
than the dripping of the honeycomb and any taste.
Verse 2 (Hé)
Majestic, Beautiful, Radiance of the universe,
my soul pines [lit: is sick for] for your love.
Please, O God, heal her now
by showing her the pleasantness of Your radiance;
then she will be strengthened and healed,
and eternal gladness will be hers.
Verse 3 (Vav)
Enduring One, may Your mercy be aroused
and please take pity on the son of Your beloved
because it is so very long that I have yearned intensely
to see speedily the splendour of Your strength;
only these my heart desired,
so please take pity and do not conceal Yourself
Verse 4 (Hé)
Please, my Beloved, reveal Yourself and spread upon me
the shelter of Your peace;
illuminate the Earth with Your glory,
that we may rejoice and be glad with You;
hasten, show love, for the time has come,
and show us grace as in days of old.
Intercessions
R. Amen, amen, blessed be the God of Israel
Or another chorus.
1.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who mourned because of the violence between Cain and Abel,
–we pray to you for peace in the Holy Land, this land where you have chosen to come and join us in our humanity
2.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who made possible the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers,
-for any contempt for your people Israel, forgive us
(silence)
-we pray to you, Father, to make fraternity grow between the Jewish people and the nations.
3.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who brought Israel out of Egypt and made your people free,
-give your joy to the Jewish people, and keep them faithful to your covenant.
4.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who united the twelve tribes of Israel around the Torah,
-give peace to the Jews who believe in Jesus.
5.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
you who sent your Son Jesus to save us,
-pour out your blessing on Christians who are of Jewish descent.
6.Loving Father, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
Father of Jesus Christ,
–bring together in unity all Christian churches.