Rabbi officiates at rain prayer service
At a multi-faith prayer service in Canberra officiated by Rabbi Shmueli Feldman, seven religious leaders offered their own rain prayer/supplication/ritual in support of our Australian farmers suffering from a dreadful drought.
Rabbi Shmueli Feldman with other religious leaders
Chairman of Chabad ACT Rabbi Feldman, joined with the other faith leaders and members of the various faith communities in the National Arboretum in Canberra for a National Rain Prayer service.
To conclude the service, an appeal was conducted and monies were raised for the Buy a Bale charity to help the farmers through this time.
Other faith group prayers were offered from leaders of the Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Baha’i religions.
From Rabbi Feldman’s told the service: “Together with Bluestar Intercultural Centre, the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Hindu Temple and Culture Centre, Hindu Council of Australia, Canberra Sikh Association, Buddhist Community of ACT and the Canberra Bahai community, We have organised this gathering today, because as Australians of many different faiths, at the core of our beliefs, we all pray for the welfare of this great land. And now, when our farmers are struggling with drought, the likes of which they have not seen in many years, we see this as a call for action.
Indeed, most of our respective religions have traditions where special prayer supplications are invoked at times like these. Today, seven different faith leaders will each offer an abridged version of these prayers. We shall continue these prayers in full, in our houses of worship, and increase in charity until such time that this drought has been broken.
We all pray, that G-d, as our loving father, seeing us all together, praying in the way we have learned how, will see the unity showed by His children this morning with our passionate prayers and immediately respond with His boundless compassion.
To begin today’s service, I ask you all to please sing along with me our National Anthem. In doing so, we recognise the abundance of blessing G-d has given to our country, and we pray together, that all His blessings – including those of our land abounding with G-d’s gifts of beauty, rich and rare, be hastily and continually realised by us all.”
