In the early months of the pandemic, it seemed a distant fantasy that the day would come when we would receive a vaccine against Covid-19. But thanks to the tireless work of an international team of scientists, public health entities, and pharmaceutical infrastructure etc., the day has indeed arrived. Some members of our congregation have already received their first doses, and though we know the future is uncertain, we are filled with hope.
After surviving so many months of adversity, there is so much to be grateful for. And, as we mark 400,000 lives lost in this country alone, we also struggle with how to mourn what and who we have lost. Certainly it will take many years to process this unique moment in history, but for now–we can open the doors to gratitude with prayer.
Such an immense gratitude and welling of emotion for this momentous time can be hard to express. Ritualwell, an online resource for Jewish ritual and prayer, has compiled a half-dozen new prayers and blessings, written in the last month, to help us express our gratitude on the occasion of receiving the vaccine. Please enjoy a sample of the blessings below, and feel free to share your own in the comments!
A Blessing of Gratitude for the COVID-19 Vaccine
by Trisha Arlin
Blessed Holy Wholeness:
As we roll up our sleeves
To receive this vaccine,
We take note
Of the inspiration and efficiency,
The hard work and creativity,
And the accumulation of knowledge and science
That brings us to this moment.
No miracles were wanted or needed
For this vaccine
And for that we are grateful.
Amen
Love Your Neighbor: A Blessing on Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
by Rabbi Ahuvah (Amy) Loewenthal
To You who enliven all flesh, To You who guides all creatures: See me as I enact Your commandment “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Ruakh Kol Basar, Adon Kol haBriot: Hareni m’kabel/m’kabelet alai mitzvat asei shel “v’ahavta l’reakha kamokha.”
From Darkness to Light: A Meditation on Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccine
by Rabbi Rebecca Kamil
As we move from darkness to light
May we take this vaccine as a sign of what is to come
A world reopened and renewed
Embracing family and friends
Gathering together in joy
May we also be mindful of what has been
The lives lost
The sorrow felt
And may the past and present intertwine
Giving us hope for the future
Another to add in the mix. I have it saved in my phone until the day I finally get to roll up my sleeve:
May it be Your will, my G!D, that this enterprise be for healing and that you heal me. As You are a G!D of healing and your healing is truth. Blessed are You, who heals unconditionally. Blessed is G!D who grants life, sustains us, and brought us to this day. May The One who made people innovators in the divine image, The Power that orders nature with both reason and mystery, The Grantor of Miracles, see this vaccine bring healing to us, relief to our broken society, and an end to this plague speedily and in our days. AMEN.
(First two lines credit to Talmud Bavli Berachot 60a via David Jacob Andorsky. Third line is the shehechiyanu. Last line is by Etta Heisler.)