“A Blessing for the Search of True Kindness offered at Governor Healy’s State of the Commonwealth,” Rabbi Elaine Zecher’s Shabbat Awakenings

January 23, 2026 | 5 Sh’vat 5786

Welcome to Shabbat Awakenings, a weekly reflection, as we make our way toward Shabbat. You can also listen to it as a podcast.

 This week I share my words of blessing offered at Governor Healy’s State of the Commonwealth.

A Blessing for the Search of True Kindness

Holy One of Blessing, your presence fills all creation
We stand before You,
we who are divinely inspired yet human powered
In pursuit of a compassion filled world.

We have a long way to go.

We surely know of pain
caused by the mistreatment of the stranger,
the vulnerable, those without safety and security.
So much that is heart breaking
and heart wrenching challenges our stability.
When much has been lost,
what remains is kindness,
sacred and humane, everlasting and eternal,
and always available as a balm for despair.

Help us, O God, to stand strong,
to turn toward that which reaches
further than ourselves.
Help us to discover a path forward
illuminated by the grace of goodness
toward one another.
Small gestures of kindness
offered without the expectation
of recognition make a profound difference.
Kindness given unconditionally
has the power to transform unconditionally.
That’s what makes it true.

We are mere human beings
touched by the sacred.
How can it be that though we are created
in Your image
we are not all the same?
We are a varied kaleidoscope of humanity
dignified by our difference
woven together by a sacred thread.

Teach us, O God
to activate our capacity
to respond with kindness,
even with those whom we disagree.
Your mercy and loving-kindness inspire us
to consider how we care for one another,
how we disturb our complacency
to see that each person carries Your divinity
even when it is difficult,
even when we would rather look away.
Let us not stand idly by.

Move us, Holy One of Blessing,
in the presence of one another in this chamber,
those who have devoted their lives
to service of others as a civic responsibility
to be the bridge between heaven and earth.
Together, we demonstrate the potential
of each person’s capacity
to bring goodness to one another.

We have learned,
leadership can mean tending
to one’s flock like a shepherd.
The Psalmists called You a shepherd.
It may not be possible to stand before a flock
and expect everyone to obey or to agree,
yet, leading from within
as a shepherd must do
can move everyone forward.
And it is watching out for the those on the outside, exposed to danger
that ensures their safety.

May our governor feel Your presence
lifting her in difficult moments
and celebratory ones, too.
May kindness surround her,
hold her and strengthen her.
May Governor Healy’s compassion inspire others,
and may it flow from the hands and hearts
of those who reside in
our glorious commonwealth
to be active partners in our shared work
to bring God’s mercy to life,
and in doing so, to bring life to each other.

So may it be. Amen.

Shabbat Shalom! שבת שלום

I welcome your thoughts and experiences here.

Rabbi Elaine Zecher