The election of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States brings with it deep concerns for many Jews, people of color, the queer community, women, the disabled community, immigrants, people who believe in democracy and science, the planet and all the intersections in between. We see you, we feel you, and we want to do all we can to support you.
With that in mind, we’ve gathered pieces of Jewish wisdom which feel appropriate for this moment. They come from Jewish liturgy, songs, poetry and thinkers. In this scary time, we hope they will nourish you and empower you to take action in the face of all this grief.
1. “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” — Rabbi Rami Shapiro
2. “Gam Zeh Ya’avor” or “This too shall pass.” — from stories of King Solomon
3. “Everyone must know that within them burns a candle — and that no one’s candle is identical with the candle of another, and that there is no human being without a candle. One is obligated to work hard to reveal the light of one’s candle in the public realm for the benefit of the many. One needs to ignite one’s candle and make of it a great torch to enlighten the whole world.” — Rav Kook, the late 19th-early 20th c. Kabbalist and mystic
4. “Say these words when you lie down and when you rise up, / when you go out and when you return. In times of mourning / and in times of joy. Inscribe them on your doorposts, / embroider them on your garments, tattoo them on your shoulders, / teach them to your children, your neighbors, your enemies, / recite them in your sleep, here in the cruel shadow of empire: / Another world is possible.” — Aurora Levins Morales from her poem “V’ahavta”
5. “The Lord bless you and protect you! The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you! The Lord bestow the Lord’s favor upon you and grant you peace!” — The Priestly Blessing, Numbers 6:24-26
6. “They want you to feel powerless and surrender and let them trample everything and you are not going to let them. You are not giving up, and neither am I. The fact that we cannot save everything does not mean we cannot save anything and everything we can save is worth saving.” — writer Rebecca Solnit
7. “My heart is moved by all I cannot save: / so much has been destroyed / I have to cast my lot with those
who age after age, perversely, / with no extraordinary power, / reconstitute the world.” — Adrienne Rich, excerpted from her poem “Natural Resources”
8. “The Lord is my shepherd; / I lack nothing. / He makes me lie down in green pastures; / He leads me to water in places of repose; / He renews my life; / He guides me in right paths / as befits His name. / Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness, / I fear no harm, for You are with me; / Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. / You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies; / You anoint my head with oil; / my drink is abundant. / Only goodness and steadfast love shall pursue me / all the days of my life, / and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for many long years.” — Psalm 23
9. “Our God and God of our ancestors, bless this country and all who dwell within it. Help us to experience the blessings of our lives and circumstances / To be vigilant, compassionate, and brave / Strengthen us when we are afraid / Help us to channel our anger / So that it motivates us to action / Help us to feel our fear / So that we do not become numb / Help us to be generous with others / So that we raise each other up / Help us to be humble in our fear, knowing that as vulnerable as we feel there are those at greater risk, and that it is our holy work to stand with them / Help us to taste the sweetness of liberty / To not take for granted the freedoms won in generations past or in recent days / To heal and nourish our democracy, that it may be like a tree planted by the water whose roots reach down to the stream; it need not fear drought when it comes, its leaves are always green.” — “Prayer for Our Country” by Rabbi Ayelet Cohen
10. “Yet life is not a vision nor a prayer, / But stubborn work; she may not shun her task. / After the first compassion, none will spare / Her portion and her work achieved, to ask. / She pleads for respite,—she will come ere long / When, resting by the roadside, she is strong. / Nay, for the hurrying throng of passers-by / Will crush her with their onward-rolling stream. / Much must be done before the brief light die; / She may not loiter, rapt in the vain dream. / With unused trembling hands, and faltering feet, / She staggers forth, her lot assigned to meet. / But when she fills her days with duties done, / Strange vigor comes, she is restored to health. / New aims, new interests rise with each new sun, / And life still holds for her unbounded wealth. / All that seemed hard and toilsome now proves small, / And naught may daunt her,—she hath strength for all.” — “Work” by Emma Lazarus
