[Aneinu] Israeli Rabbinate Approves New Prayer for Return of Bodies of IDF Soldiers

Israeli Rabbinate Approves New Prayer for Return of Bodies of IDF SoldiersSeptember 16, 2015 8:22 am second-lieutenant-hadar-goldinIsrael’s Chief Rabbinate has approved a new prayer to be recited in shuls until further notice – a tefillah for the return of the bodies of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, Israeli soldiers who were killed and captured by Hamas in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, Yediot reports. The idea to write such a tefillah came from the American community of Ramat Orah in New York who approached the Goldin family and told them that the community would like to establish a tefillah to be said on Yomim Tovim and Shabbos for the return of their son’s body. Goldin’s father Simcha turned to two rabbis who established the precise wording of the prayer and approached the Rabbinate for approval. Chief Rabbi Rav Dovid Lau said that adding a prayer was no simple matter, but gave his approval due to the importance of the issue. “We pray for IDF soldiers, security forces and this missing or imprisoned every Shabbos at shul,” said Rav Lau. “I call on (everyone) to add the special prayer. It’s our moral duty to the Goldin and Shaul families – to pray for the return of their sons’ bodies to bury them in Israel.” Simcha Goldin welcomed the new prayer and said, “It’s important to understand that there are still two soldiers in Gaza and we need to return them. When we talk these days about the ease we want to give the other side, it’s important to make the return of the bodies a condition.” The text of the new prayer reads as follows: אב הרחמים שוכן מרומים ברחמיו העצומים, הוא יפקוד ברחמים את החיילים הקדושים והטהורים הדר בן שמחה וחדווה לאה ואורון בן הרצל וזהבה, שמסרו נפשם על קדושת השם. מנשרים קלו ומאריות גברו לעשות רצון קונם וחפץ צורם בעוז ובענווה. יזכרם אלוהינו לטובה עם שאר צדיקי עולם, יביאם לקבר ישראל, ככתוב ואל עמו תביאנו, וינוחו בשלום על משכבם ונאמר אמן. {Matzav.com Israel}