Friday, November 25, 2005

America's Table: A Thanksgiving Haggadah

From BeliefNet: A Thanksgiving Haggadah

We are thankful that we live in this American community, which derives its awesome creativity and energy from the diversity of its people, the freedoms they enjoy, and their fervent pursuit of justice.

Let us express our gratitude using these written words or our own.

We are thankful for the freedom from hunger.

We are thankful for the freedom to worship.

We are thankful for the freedom to challenge our minds.

We are thankful for the freedom to change our minds.

We are thankful for the freedom to chart our lives.

We are thankful for the freedom to work for a better world.

We are thankful for the freedom to celebrate this day.

We pray for our country, for the men and women who today are protecting our freedom, and for the day when this nation and the entire world will know peace.


"We cannot merely pray to God to end war;
For the world was made in such a way
That we must find our own path of peace
Within ourselves and with our neighbor...
Therefore we pray instead
For strength, determination, and will power,
To do instead of merely to pray
To become instead of merely to wish;
That our world may be safe,
And that our lives may be blessed."

--Rabbi Jack Riemer

>Oseh shalom bi-m'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael, v'imru amen.

God who brings peace to the universe will bring peace to us and to all the people Israel, and to all the inhabitants of the earth. And let us say, Amen.

We thank God for the bread on our table by sharing our good fortune with others.


Barukh atah adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, ha-motzi lehem min ha-aretz.

Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.

1 comment:

Sharon Cobb said...

Hi Kerry,
I don't know if you know this, but the first Hebrew line you used is from the Hebrew prayer the Kaddish, which is said in memory of the dead. We say it while sitting Shiva for a week, and daily for a month when we lose someone. We also say it on the anniversary of the death of a loved one.
The second prayer you list is correct--the blessing over bread. I wasn't sure if you knew the context of the first Hebrew line you wrote.
I'm semi-fluent in Hebrew. Such an enigma!
Love your blog!
Sharon