G'vurot

G’vurot

The G’vurot speaks of God’s limitless power. God has the ability to lift up the fallen, heal the sick, and free the captive. Our very lives and deaths are in God’s hands. In the face of such power, we ask, “Though our power is an infinitesimal fraction of Yours, what can we do, in partnership with You, to lift up, to heal, to free?” How do we use our power, minute in comparison to God’s but nevertheless significant in our world, for good?

In a world where the weak were tormented by oppressors, our Torah taught us to love the poor and the stranger.
A heritage of justice has come down to us.
Where the sword was sovereign, we were commanded to seek peace and pursue it.
A heritage of peace has come down to us.
All this now is ours.
Ours the teaching, ours the task, to make the heritage live.
For it is our life, and the length of our days!
-Gates of Prayer p. 230

Grant peace and happiness, blessing and mercy, to all Israel and all the world. Bless us, O God, with the light of Your presence, for by that light we find life, justice, and peace.
May Your children unite to do Your will: to establish peace and justice throughout the world, so that the nations are drawn together by the bond of friendship, and Your law of truth hold sway over our lives.
Blessed is Lord, the Source of peace.
-Gates of Prayer p. 330

Eternal God, the power of Your spirit pervades all creation. When we open our hearts to You, we are filled with Your strength: the strength to bear our afflictions, the strength to refuse them victory, the strength to overcome them. And then our will is renewed: to lift up the fallen, to set free the captive, to heal the sick, to bring light to all who dwell in darkness. Add your strength to ours, O God, so that when death casts its shadow, we shall yet be able to say: O source of blessing, You are with us in death as in life!
-Gates of Prayer p. 356

Lord, You are One, the Creator of all. And it is Your will that all Your children worship You in freedom. Therefore we must work for the freedom of all, that all may be glad as were our ancestors when they were freed from Egyptian bondage. They gave thanks to You and sang with joy:
-Gates of Prayer p. 382

Great is Your power, O Lord, and endless Your love. The evening stars tell of Your might, and growing things are a song of Your love.
You have taught us to uphold the falling, to heal the sick, to free the captive, to comfort all who suffer pain.
In sickness and in health, in life and in death, You are with us. Blessed is the Lord, Creator of life.
-Gates of Prayer p. 383