Avinu Malekeinu

Avinu Malekeinu

To this day, I think of my mother as I recite this emotional prayer. And why shouldn’t I? She sang it with so much feeling that intuitively I grasped the meaning of our pleas to our Father, our King before I was old enough to really understand them. There are pleas for everything, peace, tranquility, health, financial stability, abundance, compassion and forgiveness from G-d, a closeness to our Maker, and more. Of course, this year, one of the requests hit me right between the eyes. Our Father, our King, withhold the Plague from Your heritage (Your people).

For the observant Jew, this prayer isn’t just recited on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, but also on the days between the two and various fast days. That means that over a million people will be pleading with The Almighty to withhold the plague, twice a day for eight days this week. I don’t think anyone will be reciting this request by rote, rather we are begging, pleading, imploring with all our hearts.

This year I think we’ve all learned that Our Maker is in charge. Maybe He’ll grant the scientists the knowledge to produce a vaccine. Maybe He’ll let the doctors find a cure. Maybe He’ll cause all of us to act responsibly and end the contagion. Or maybe He’ll grant us a major miracle. However and whenever Covid 19 ends, it will be exactly how and when He decrees. May our prayers cause Him to end it now.

  

My novel, Growing With My Cousin, a good holiday read, is available at Jewish bookstores and on line at  http://www.feldheim.com/growing-with-my-cousin.html or

https://www.amazon.com/Growing-Cousin-Ester-Katz-Silvers/dp/194635113X/