American Jewish Life

Title

Y'hi Ratzon -- Safe Together Apart

Description

I am Cantor at a Conservative synagogue (Jewish) in Columbus, Ohio.

I wrote this song/prayer shortly after the arrival of what was first called Coronavirus, then Covid-19 -- before the word pandemic was being commonly used.

The song/prayer had coalesced by March 20.

It is based on a somewhat obscure passage in the weekday Torah service (the Torah is read every Monday and Thursday) -- a passage theoretically recited between raising the Torah and returning it to the Ark.

The original prayer asks God (our Father) to protect us from desolation and pestilence. I broadened it -- both in Hebrew and in English -- to think of God as both Father and Mother -- and to ask for protection for all of us (not just "b'nei Yisrael" -- the children of Israel) -- brothers and sisters in this country and around the world -- and to keep us Safe Together Apart -- which is the unique challenge to us in these times.

I typically do either the Hebrew or the English (generally not both) between various services -- or in the midst of some services -- probably about 5x per week.

As we still follow our basic traditional rituals, it hasn't altered the prayers that we do. . . it just gets added here and there.

And I share it with other cantors, other Jewish spiritual leaders, and leaders of other faiths, at all appropriate opportunities.

This adapted passage from the Torah reflects how religious leaders often incorporate current events into sermons and services. The title "Safe Together Apart" is reflective of the idea of social distancing which, at the time this was written, was a newly established notion of mitigating the pandemic in the U.S.

Date Created

March 20, 2020

Community

Congregation Tifereth Israel

Denomination

Conservative

State

Ohio

Place

Columbus

Genre

Song Sheet Music

Language

English

Hebrew

Subject

COVID Safety Protocols

Music

Community

Social Distancing

Adaptability

Healing

This item was submitted on April 21, 2020 by [anonymous user] using the form “Tell us about your religious community's response” on the site “Pandemic Religion: A Digital Archive”: https://americanjewishlife.org/s/contributions