Candle lighting

Contributed By Marcy Kalish

As we light these candles, we pray for all those suffering

 in the world find light amid the darkness.

We pray that our experiences today

 help us to ignite the spark of justice within each of us.

We pray for social justice,
for the alleviation of the crippling poverty
that condemns millions of people around the world
to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving,
who are condemned to homelessness, slave labor, and prostitution,
and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture
even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war,
for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places
through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for an end to cruelty,
for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving
and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being. We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us,
and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit; .
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

We pray that we have the strength to carry forth this light into our homes,

Creating a beautiful and bold flame that inspires others to work for the freedom and security of the innocent people.


haggadah Section: Introduction