Prayer for the Israeli Soldiers[1]
A prayer is really serious when it becomes part of the accepted communal
liturgy. The prayers for the State of Israel and for the Soldiers of Israel have
become that. They have been placed into the liturgy in almost all Orthodox
communities by the authority of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and with the
consent of the community. But, shouldn’t the prayer
for those who defend the State of Israel at the risk of their lives be part of
our daily prayer?
Where is the most
logical place in the daily liturgy to put the prayer for the soldiers who
defend the homeland? After Torah reading (which is where it is) only occurs on
days when one reads Torah. Where should it be to really be a part of our daily
prayer?
It seems to me
that the most appropriate place to pray for those who risk their lives to
defend the Jewish people is in the most important daily petitionary prayer – in
the Shemoneh Esreh. That is
the place where we, observant Jews, make our most important petitions to haShem, three times a day. It is where we pray for
knowledge, repentance … destruction of our enemies, blessing upon the righteous
… the messiah … and peace. Where, then, should one
insert the prayer for the security forces of the State of Israel in the daily Shemoneh Esreh?
I propose that
several phrases be inserted into על הצדיקים right after ועל גרי
הצדק . Whatever is inserted would then be followed byועלינו and
the prayer could continue to its end, being sure to mention לכל הבוטחים בשמך באמת which would include, by kavvana,
all non-Jews who also support the State of Israel. I am not qualified to debate
the halakhic issues of how to do this but the common-sense goal of putting a
prayer for the soldiers who defend the Jewish people into the Shemoneh Esreh itself would seem
quite clear.
There will be
much discussion on what one should insert. This is what I propose: After ועל גרי הצדק
one should insert the following:
ועל חיילי צבא
הגנה לישראל, ועל משמר הגבול, ועל משטרת ישראל, ועל השב״ק,
ועל המוסד, ועל האמ״ן, ועל היחידות המיוחדות, ועל כל
כוחות הבטחון ... ועלינו
“May Your mercies
be aroused for the righteous, for the pious, for the elders of Your people, the
house of Israel; for the remnants of their scholars and for the righteous
converts; for the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, for the Israel
Border Police, and for the Israel Police Force; for the Internal Security Agency,
for the Mossad, for the Military Intelligence Directorate, and for all the
security forces; and for us, O Lord, our God. Give a full reward, too, to
all those who truly trust in Your Name and cast our lot with them forever. So,
we will not be shamed because we have had trust in You. Blessed are You, O
Lord, Who is the support and source of trust for the
righteous.”
There are ways to
make this shorter but the point is clear: Mention the
specific forces for which we petition haShem’s
protection, and do it as part of our daily petitionary prayer, at the
most appropriate place. I do it every day though, out of deference to the
community, I do not say it in the repetition if I lead the prayers. It would be
best, however, to do so.
[1] Praying for the
Defenders of Our Destiny, ed. A. Hacohen
and M. Butler (Institute for Jewish Research and Publications, Cambridge, MA:
2023) 144-46. This online version contains a translation of the full paragraph,
which is not in the published version.