Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu, Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu la'asok b'divrei Torah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of the Universe, Who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to engage with words of Torah.
רַבִּי חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי מִתְפַּלֵּל בִּשְׁלוֹמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת, שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא מוֹרָאָהּ, אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ חַיִּים בְּלָעוֹ.
Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive.
“Rabbi, rabbi, is there a blessing for the Czar?”
“Yes, my son, God bless and keep the Czar — far away from us!”
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, וּפְרֹשׂ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ, וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ. חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קׇדְשֵׁנוּ, וְהַנְחִילֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְשׁוּעָה וַעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן תְּעַטְּרֵם, וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ, וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ. וְאֶת אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, פְּקׇד נָא בְּכָל אַרְצוֹת פְּזוּרֵיהֶם, וְתוֹלִיכֵם מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְצִיּוֹן עִירֶךָ וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם מִשְׁכַּן שְׁמֶךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּךְ (דברים ל,ד-ו): "אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ. וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ. וּמָל יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת לְבָבְךָ וְאֶת לְבַב זַרְעֶךָ, לְאַהֲבָה אֶת יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכׇל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכׇל נַפְשְׁךָ, לְמַעַן חַיֶּיךָ". וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ, וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת כׇּל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ, וּשְׁלַח לָנוּ מְהֵרָה בֶּן דָּוִד מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֶךָ, לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ. הוֹפַע בַּהֲדַר גְּאוֹן עֻזֶּךָ עַל כׇּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל אַרְצֶךָ, וְיֹאמַר כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ: "יְיָ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶלֶךְ, וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בַּכֹּל מָשָׁלָה!" אָמֵן סֶלָה.
Heavenly Father, Israel's Rock and Redeemer, bless the State of Israel, the first flowering of our redemption. Shield it under the wings of Your loving-kindness, and spread over it the Tabernacle of Your peace. Send Your light and truth to its leaders, ministers and counselors, and direct them with good counsel before You.
Strengthen the hands of the defenders of our Holy Land; grant them deliverance, our God, and crown them with the crown of victory. Grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants.
As for our brothers, the whole house of Israel, remember them in all the lands of their dispersion, and swiftly lead them upright to Zion Your city, and Jerusalem Your dwelling place, as it is written in the Torah of Moses Your servant: "Even if you are scattered to the furthermost lands under the heavens, from the Lord your God will gather you and take you back. The Lord your God will bring you to the land your ancestors possessed and you will possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors. Then the Lord your God will open up your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live." (Deut. 30)
Unite our hearts to love and revere Your name and observe all the words of Your Torah, and swiftly send us Your righteous anointed one of the house of David, to redeem those who long for Your salvation.
Appear in Your glorious majesty over all the dwellers on earth, and let all who breathe declare: The Lord God of Israel is King and His kingship has dominion over all. Amen, Selah.
Translation from The Koren Siddur, Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks (2009)
Introduced after the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948. A key element of the prayer is the phrase "the first flowering of our redemption." It means that the restoration of Israel as a sovereign nation in its own land was not merely an event in secular history. It was the fulfillment of the prophetic vision - first stated by Moses in the quoted verse from Deuteronomy - that Israel would one day be gathered from "the furthermost lands under the heavens," an astonishingly precise prediction of what actually happened. According to the third-century Babylonian teacher Shmuel, "The only difference between this world and the messianic age is subjection to foreign powers" (Berakhot 34b). In this view, Israel's independence was in itself a redemptive moment, a return to Jewish self-determination, self-government and self-defense under the sovereignty of God alone.
Rock and Redeemer of Yisrael, bless the State of Yisrael, the dawning of our redemption. Shield it with Your compassion and spread over it the sukkah of Your shalom. May a spark of Your spirit inspire the actions of its elected leaders and officials, judges and advisors that they may follow the path of justice, liberty and righteousness. Strengthen the spirit and the hands of those who build and protect our holy land and grant them salvation and life. Bring shalom to this land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants. Be with all the people of Israel wherever they are. Plant within their hearts the love of Zion, and may those of our people who are so inspired, come to Jerusalem, Your city, which bears Your name. Spread Your spirit over all the inhabitants of our land. Uproot hatred and animosity, jealousy and evil. Plant in our hearts love and kinship, peace and friendship. And speedily fulfill the vision of Your prophet: Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. And let us say: Amen.
Relating to the State of Israel as "the first sprouting of our redemption" has proved especially problematic over the years. Many have been troubled by its messianic pretensions, holding that the State of Israel does not merit the title. Seeing the state as already redemptive, moreover, has led some extremists to demand a post-historical morality that permits violence toward Arabs. This liberal version of the prayer therefore strikes a balance. It does see Israel as "the first sprouting of our redemption," but the image of redemption is a far cry from the traditionalistic portrait that includes all Jews being restored to their homeland and the rest of humanity converted to the true vision of the one and unique Jewish God.
My God,
In this sacred moment, give us hope for Israel and her future.
Renew our wonder at the miracle of the Jewish State.
In the name of the pioneers who made the deserts bloom - give us the tools to cultivate a diversity of Jewish expression in Israel.
In the name of our fallen soldiers - give us courage to stand up to the words and ways of the zealots. Those in our own midst and those among our neighbors.
In the name of Israeli inventors who have amazed the world with their innovations - help us apply the same ingenuity to finding a path to peace.
In the name of all these women and men - grant us the strength to conquer doubt and despair in Israel.
Replacing doubt with action.
Replacing despair with hope.
And let us say:
Amen
אמְנֵנוּ|אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ, צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ, בָּרֵך אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁתְּהֵא לְרֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ. הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּך, וּפְרשׂ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶך, וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְך וְצִדְקך לְרָאשֶׁיהָ שָׂרֶיהָ יוֹעֲצֶיהָ וְשׁוֹפְטֶיה,ָ וְלַלְּאם שֶׁבּוֹחֵר בָּם וְתַקְּנֵם בְּרוּחַ מִשְׁפָּט מִלְּפָנֶיך שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״צִיּוֹן בְּמִשְׁפָּט תִּפָּדֶה וְשָׁבֶיהָ בִּצְדָקָה.״ הָצֵל נָא אֶת כָּל אַרְצך בֵּין יַרְדֵּן לַיָּם מִשְּׁפִיכוּת דָּמִים וְאֶת כָּל הַיּוֹשְׁבִים וְהַגָּרִים בָּהּ תַּחַת כָּל שִׁלְטוֹן מִשׂוֹנְאִים בַּחוּץ וּמִשִּׂנְאָה בִּפְנִים. וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ וְשַׁלְוָה לִמְגִנֶיה,ָ שִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְכָל יוֹשְׁבֶיהָ וְתִקְוָה טוֹבָה לְכָל עַמֶּיה,ָ וְנאמַר אָמֵן
David Seidenberg, 2018
Our Nurturer / Our Parent, in heaven and on Earth, Rock of Israel and its redeemer, bless the State of Israel, so that she may become the beginning of the flowering of our redemption. Shield her with Your embrace of love and spread over her Your sukkah-shelter of peace, and send Your light and Your righteousness to her heads, ministers, advisers, and judges, and to the nation that elects them, and align them with the spirit of justice from You, as it says, "Zion through justice will be redeemed and her captives through righteousness." (Isaiah 1:27) Rescue all of Your land, from the Jordan River to the sea, from the spilling of blood, and all residing and sojourning there, under every government, from haters without and hatred within. Grant peace in the land, and secure calm to her defenders, lasting joy to all her inhabitants, and real hope for all her peoples. And let us say: Amen.
What’s left out: “Strengthen the hands of those who defend the land…and crown them with the crown of victory.” Why: This was the only phrase in the original prayer referring to the IDF. In a time of war, we need a full prayer for the protection and success of soldiers, like the Mi Shebeirakh prayer used by the IDF. In a less critical time, any hope for the IDF is included in the phrase “grant secure calm (shalvah) to her defenders,” which also includes everyone working for peace, justice, and security in the lands of Israel/Palestine and the state of Israel.