Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists
by N. Solovy
God of wisdom,
Bless medical scientists and researchers around the world
With insight and skill, dedication and fortitude,
As they combat coronavirus,
So that their work yields knowledge and understanding,
Speedily finding a vaccine, treatments and deterrents to its spread.
Source of life,
Grant public health and government officials
The strength to act swiftly and decisively,
With compassion and understanding,
In service to humankind,
Fighting this outbreak
And the other diseases that still plague the planet,
Diseases threatening the lives of our brothers and sisters,
Nations and communities,
Young and old.
Rock of Ages,
Bring an end to disease and suffering,
So that all may know
Your compassion and Your grace.
Praised are You, God, healer of flesh, maker of wonders.
A Jewish prayer for healing in the coronavirus epidemic:
by Guy Austrian
Harachaman, Compassionate One, You are “rofeh chol basar umafli la‘asot,” healer of bodies, who does wondrous deeds.
The wondrous bodies that You have made for us now feel more fragile. The openings by which we perceive Your world now feel more vulnerable.
We are anxious and frightened by the uncertainty of what is to come. We love the lives we lead, and we fear what disruption may come. We love our friends, families, and neighbors, our children and our elders, and we fear what illness may come.
We pray for healing, of body and of spirit, speedy and complete, for all those who are ill from the coronavirus, both far from us and close to home.
Strengthen the hands of our caregivers. Give of Your healing powers to our medical personnel and mental health professionals. Give of Your wisdom to our decision makers and public health officials.
Strengthen our hearts to confront this challenge. Give us of Your discipline, that we may not yield to panic and dread, but may protect ourselves with appropriate precaution and calm determination. Give us of Your compassion, that we may not yield to prejudice or bigotry, but may reach out to our neighbors with kindness and solidarity.
We are grateful for our bodies and the life You have given us. We are grateful for our communities and congregations who see us and support us. We are grateful for those who are working to protect us. We are grateful for Your love and Your sheltering presence. We know we are not alone.
A Prayer in the Time of Plague
by Rabbi Martin S. Cohen
Avinu Malkeinu, Dear God in Heaven, protect our families, our friends, and our neighbors as we negotiate these troubled seas in which we find ourselves afloat.
Ever mindful of the fact that we are all Your creatures, we turn to You for guidance and for strength as we pray that the public officials charged with bringing us through this crisis be granted wisdom, intelligence, and insight born of compassion and charity.
And we pray too that the physicians, nurses, and hospital employees who are on the front lines be spared all distress and disease as they care for the stricken, for the elderly, and for the infirm.
Most of all, we pray that You look with kindness and generosity on us all, and particularly on those already infected for whose recovery we this day ardently pray, as is written in Your holy Torah, “For I, the Almighty, am the source of Your healing.” Amen, may such be Your will!
Coronavirus: A Prayer of Hope During this Pandemic
by Rabbi Naomi Levy
We are frightened, God,
Please God, More Light: A Prayer
To the One whose Heavens
Prayer in the Time of Corona Virus
Our God, and God of all people: The Psalmist wrote:"Who may ascend the mountain of the Eternal? Who may stand in God's holy place? Those with clean hands and a pure heart." (Psalm 24:3-4)
Worried for our loved ones,
Worried for our world.
Helpless and confused,
We turn to You
Seeking comfort, faith and hope.
Teach us God, to turn our panic into patience,
And our fear into acts of kindness and support.
Our strong must watch out for our weak,
Our young must take care of our old.
Help each one of us to do our part to halt the spread of this virus
Send strength and courage to the doctors and nurses
In the frontlines of this battle,
Fortify them with the full force of their healing powers.
Send wisdom and insight to the scientists
Working day and night across the world to discover healing treatments.
Bless their efforts, God.
Fill our leaders with the wisdom and the courage
To choose wisely and act quickly.
Help us, God, to see that we are one world,
One people
Who will rise above this pandemic together.
Send us health God,
Watch over us,
Grace us with Your love,
Bless us with Your healing light.
Hear us God,
Heal us God,
Amen.
by Rabbi Menachem Creditor
just erupted with Divine Light:
Shine down healing upon Your wearied children.
Give us illumination that we might
see each other well in this dark moment.
Guide with luminous clarity
and renewed spirit
the hands of our healthcare providers.
Please God, more light.
Now. Tomorrow.
Until the darkness
is limited to its right time
once more.
Amen.
by Rabbi Joseph R. Black
God of the rich and God of the poor;
God of the healthy, and God of the afflicted;
God of those with healthcare, and God of the uninsured;
God of the hoarder, and God of the helper;
God of those who have no God.
We are acutely aware of the gnawing unease that has been inspired by a global pandemic. Everywhere we look, we see apprehension and uncertainty unleashed all around us. The impact of this illness is very real. Its presence is felt every time we wash our hands, clear our throats or flinch in response to someone coughing behind us.
A virus cannot be seen by the human eye – and yet it makes its presence known in the empty classrooms andcancelled events that increasingly are becoming the norm around our city, state, nation and throughout the world.
It inspires fear as we await news of its arrival in our midst. We struggle to avoid contact with our faces and abandon all gestures of human touch that, just last month were expressions of friendship and affection.
We have heard stories of how the virus has brought out the worst in some of us. We have hoarded vital supplies and taken advantage of shortages to gouge our fellow citizens on the secondary market. We have taken solace in the fact that it is projected to most severely impact the most vulnerable in our midst: the aged and indisposed; the compromised and infirm;
We have watched in horror as racists have targeted Asian and other ethnic communities, using our fears to reinforce their hideous agendas.
But along with the ugliness, we also have seen simple beauty:
We pray that, as we wash our hands (for 20 seconds – no less...) we also might strive to find You, O God – in our hearts our hopes and our homes.
Eternal One: Bless all who come to this sacred place. Keep them healthy. Give them strength to find ways to safeguard our State and protect the lives and livelihoods of every one of its citizens.
We pray for healing of those who are affected. We pray that those who are healthy will remain so. We pray that this crisis will end and that lives and livelihoods will be spared.
Amen