One less prayer

Orthodox Jewish prayer services are ritualistic. That's not a bad thing, in my opinion. There's a protocol to be followed. Certain prayers are said during certain times of the day. Certain prayers are said during certain periods of the year.

There is also a category of prayer that focuses on "future events". We say those prayers now, with the hope that some day, we won't have to say them.

Today, one such prayer was removed from our ritual. The prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. I personally don't agree with the policy that allowed for Israel to release 1000+ convicted criminals (some being terrorists) in exchange for this one Israeli citizen/soldier. In my mind, there's no question that the harm which will be visited on Israel by these 1000+ criminals will outweigh the sorrow for losing one man.

But this article isn't about my personal opinion. It is about the prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. A prayer we've been reciting for 5 years. A prayer we will never recite again!