Dove

Hashem our God, gather our scattered exiles;
For our sins You have sent us into exile, imprisoned us in our homes.
We did not heed the words of Your prophets,
We ignored those who said the time of plague would return.
You who gave us all we needed to prepare
Were ignored, the great did not listen to counsel.
You punish nations for the transgressions of their leaders,
And to those who cry that this is unjust, You need only say,
"I have given to you the power to choose those who stand for you."
And in our silence our arrogance is crushed.
You are the Creator of good and evil, dark and light,
Health and plague, victory and defeat.
We who are unworthy to plead our cause say again,
"Gather our scattered exiles."

You are gracious to whom You are gracious,
And show mercy to whom You show mercy;
You exile and condemn to death the innocent
That You might also mark the wicked for destruction.
Have You turned Your face from us? Are we gone from Your sight?
We are not a righteous generation, nor have we the excuses
Of our ancestors. In a time that could be of peace and plenty,
We have chosen war and famine. How then can we say,
"Your plagues are unjust" when we have not shown justice?
How can we condemn You for doing to us
What all too often we do ourselves?
Nevertheless, despite our transgression we plead,
"Gather our scattered exiles."

Let us return to Your synagogues and study Your Torah.
Let us gather together to praise Your name
And mourn our dead. Let us break bread together
And say, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity."
Give us the strength and courage to transform Your world,
As we have shown we are able, and let us leave
Our homes that we might show ourselves worthy
Of leaving our homes. Let us prove to You
That we can be better than we have been,
That we are prepared to fulfill the mitzvah of loving our neighbor.
In order that your mitzvot might be fulfilled we plead,
"Gather our scattered exiles."