Hashkiveinu: A Prayer for Protection

Rabbi Sandra Lawson shares a prayer for protection.

Closed Caption for Video

My name is Rabbi Sandra Lawson. First of all, I can’t tell you what an honor it has been these last couple of months to be a part of this fellowship and to have the ability to create media content. So, with that said in thinking about all that has transpired…I was thinking that we could use some protection. I was thinking about the Jewish prayer Hashkiveinu.

Hashkiveinu is a prayer that is said only at night. Now.. if you can imagine a prayer asking God to protect us, because the night is scary. Imagine a time where there was not light pollution, no street lights, no car lights, no nothing and you couldn’t even see directly in front of you and that’s when this prayer was written.

In the prayer we have the words ‘Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha’ it’s a plea asking God to provide protection over us, to provide a shelter of peace. And with everything that has transpired in this last year, we could use some shelter. A shelter of peace. And so with that I wrote this prayer Hashkiveinu

Song:

‘Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha’ Dear God please spread over us your shelter of peace.

Hashkiveinu Adonai eloheinu l’shalom,

v’ha-amideinu shomreinu l’chayim;

Ufros aleinu

Hashkiveinu Adonai eloheinu l’shalom,

v’ha-amideinu shomreinu l’chayim;

Ufros aleinu

Ufros aleinu sukat sh’lomecha,

Dear God please lay us down, and let us rise again

And please spread over us Your shelter of peace

Ufros aleinu sukat sh’lomecha,

Dear God please lay us down, and let us rise again

Ufros aleinu sukat sh’lomecha,

Dear God, Dear God please lay us down, and let us rise again

Rabbi Sandra Lawson received ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in June 2018. She holds a Master’s degree in Sociology with a focus on environmental justice and race, is an Army veteran, and an Interfaith America Racial Equity Fellow.