Prayer for Divine Direction During the Devastating Pandemic

 

Parashat Ki Tisa

Prayer for Divine Direction During the Devastating Pandemic
 
Hashem, how long must we live with this lingering plague,
making everything in life so unknown, hazy, and vague?
 
Since this pandemic makes it nearly impossible to plan,
please reveal Your soft pillar of cloud to lead every man!
 
We have learned to carefully choose our embrace,
Accepting that You will never expose Your face.
 
Please Hashem will You at least reveal Your back!
We are tired of computers from PC to Mac.
 
How long until we get out of this constraint?
New-fangled Divine insights we long to gain!
 
You led us into this land of milk and honey,
but now people are suffering without money!

 
What are we supposed to do with all this pain?
More and more people are going insane!
 
Everyone is tearing his brother apart,
What has happened to our loving heart?
 
For our atonement let us give half a coin!
Being in it together we must each other join!
 
Trying everything to avoid the plague to transfer,
through smells of oregano, frankincense, and myrrh.
 
What do You want us to learn from all this?
When will we know the lessons that we miss?
 
How long must golden calves of today
constantly keep leading us astray? 
 
One thing we have learned is that we cannot control,
who is going to escape and who will come out whole.
 
How do You want us to grow from this?
Where do we turn to fulfill our highest wish?  

Inspired by Yishai Ribo’s Keter Melucha Song

 

Based on the Book of Shemot Chapter 30-33:

 

ספר שמות פרק ל פסוק יב

כִּי תִשָּׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם וְנָתְנוּ אִישׁ כֹּפֶר נַפְשׁוֹ לַהָשֵׁם בִּפְקֹד אֹתָם וְלֹא יִהְיֶה בָהֶם נֶגֶף בִּפְקֹד אֹתָם: (יג) זֶה יִתְּנוּ כָּל הָעֹבֵר עַל הַפְּקֻדִים מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ עֶשְׂרִים גֵּרָה הַשֶּׁקֶל מַחֲצִית הַשֶּׁקֶל תְּרוּמָה לַהָשֵׁם:

“When you take the sum of the children of Israel according to their numbers, let each one give to Hashem an atonement for his soul when they are counted; then there will be no plague among them when they are counted. This they shall give, everyone who goes through the counting: half a shekel according to the holy shekel. Twenty gerah equal one shekel; half of [such] a shekel shall be an offering to Hashem” (Shemot 30:12-13).

ספר שמות פרק ל פסוק כג וְאַתָּה קַח לְךָ בְּשָׂמִים רֹאשׁ מָר דְּרוֹר חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת וְקִנְּמָן בֶּשֶׂם מַחֲצִיתוֹ חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם וּקְנֵה בֹשֶׂם חֲמִשִּׁים וּמָאתָיִם: (כד) וְקִדָּה חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת בְּשֶׁקֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְשֶׁמֶן זַיִת הִין:

(כה) וְעָשִׂיתָ אֹתוֹ שֶׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת קֹדֶשׁ רֹקַח מִרְקַחַת מַעֲשֵׂה רֹקֵחַ שֶׁמֶן מִשְׁחַת קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה:

“You, take for yourself spices of the finest sort: of pure myrrh five hundred [shekel weights]; of fragrant cinnamon half of it two hundred and fifty; of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred according to the holy shekel, and one hin of olive oil. You shall make this into a holy anointment oil, a perfumed compound according to the art of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointment oil” (Shemot 30:23-25).

ספר שמות פרק ל פסוק לה וְעָשִׂיתָ אֹתָהּ קְטֹרֶת רֹקַח מַעֲשֵׂה רוֹקֵחַ מְמֻלָּח טָהוֹר קֹדֶשׁ:

(לו) וְשָׁחַקְתָּ מִמֶּנָּה הָדֵק וְנָתַתָּה מִמֶּנָּה לִפְנֵי הָעֵדֻת בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לְךָ שָׁמָּה קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם:

“You shall make it into incense, a compound according to the art of the perfumer, well-blended, pure,

holy. Then you shall crush some of it very finely, and you shall set some of it before the testimony in the Tent of Meeting, where I will arrange meetings with you; it shall be to you a holy of holies (Shemot 30:35-36).

ספר שמות פרק לב  פסוק כז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם כֹּה אָמַר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂימוּ אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ עִבְרוּ וָשׁוּבוּ מִשַּׁעַר לָשַׁעַר בַּמַּחֲנֶה וְהִרְגוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו וְאִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאִישׁ אֶת קְרֹבוֹ:

“He said to them: ‘So said Hashem, the G-d of Israel: Let every man place his sword upon his thigh and pass back and forth from one gate to the other in the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his friend, every man his kinsman’” (Shemot 32:27).

ספר שמות פרק לג פסוק ג אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ כִּי עַם קְשֵׁה עֹרֶף אַתָּה פֶּן אֲכֶלְךָ בַּדָּרֶךְ:

“…to a land flowing with milk and honey; because I will not go up in your midst since you are a stiff-necked people, lest I destroy you on the way” (Shemot 33:3).

ספר שמות פרק לג פסוק י וְרָאָה כָל הָעָם אֶת עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן עֹמֵד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וְקָם כָּל הָעָם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ אִישׁ פֶּתַח אָהֳלוֹ:

“When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and prostrate themselves, each one at the entrance of his tent” (Shemot 33:10).

ספר שמות פרק לג פסוק יח וַיֹּאמַר הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת כְּבֹדֶךָ:

“He said: ‘Show me, now, Your glory!’” (Shemot 33:18).

 ספר שמות פרק לג פסוק כג וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת כַּפִּי וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי וּפָנַי לֹא יֵרָאוּ:

“Then I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, but My face shall not be seen” (Shemot 33:23).