This past week was Rosh Hashanah La-Behemot – Rosh Hashanah for Animals. Here is a prayer by Trisha Arlin for them:
Baruch atah Adonai Elohainu Melech HaOlam,
Brucha at Shechinah, Ruach HaOlam,
Blessed are the beasts of the earth.
The ones we have domesticated,
The ones who serve us in their wild state,
The ones that hurt us or gross us out,
And the animals who live only for themselves,
without any reference to us, whatsoever.
Baruch Atah Adonai
Brucha At Shechinah
We acknowledge, celebrate, and give thanks for all the ways
the animals have made our lives possible.
We confess to cruelty and hypocrisy
In how we use their muscles and their skin
In how we use their beauty and their vulnerability.
And yet,
We are so blessed by the soft and attentive animals
that we are able to love
With all our hearts and all our souls,
And that we hope and know have loved us back,
Reflecting the perfect acceptance and connection
with God and each other
That we pray for every Shabbat.
Baruch Atah Adonai
Brucha At Shechinah
We are blessed by the lives of the animals.
May we learn to always be a blessing to them.
And we wish them a Happy New Year and a Hodesh Tov.
And let us say,
Amen
