Ahava Raba - אַהֲבָה רַבָּה

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With abundant love have You loved us, Adonai our God; with overwhelming compassion have you dealt with us. Our Father, our Ruler, for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in You, and to whom You therefore taught the laws of life, may you be gracious to us and teach us as well.  Our Father, merciful Father, have mercy upon us, instilling in our hearts the will to understand and to elucidate, to listen, to learn and teach, to observe and fulfill all the words of Your Torah’s teaching with love.

Enlighten our eyes with Your Torah, attach our hearts to your commandments, and unify our hearts to love and revere Your Name. Then shall we never feel shame, never be embarrassed and never stumble. Because we have trusted in Your great, holy and awesome Name, may we exultantly rejoice in Your deliverance. Gather us in peace from the four corners of the earth, and lead us upright to our land.

O God Who works wonders, You have chosen us from every people and tongue, and brought us close to Your great Name in truth, so that we might acknowledge You and proclaim Your oneness in love.

Blessed are You, Adonai, who chooses Your people Israel in love.

 

We express our gratitude for God’s love in the ahavat olam prayer in the evening, and in the ahava raba prayer in the morning.

It is the through the gift of Torah that we learn to bring our lives into harmony with the immutable laws of the universe. Our needs and desires can take us in many directions—some hurtful and others helpful—but if we invite God to “unify our hearts to love and revere [God’s] Name” then we will have the strength to overcome greed and self-indulgence, and to live harmoniously and at peace in God’s world. At the conclusion of the kadish we say:

עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ

“May the One Who creates harmony in the Heavens, bring harmony upon us [as well].”

While reciting the words “Gather us in peace from the four corners of the earth,” it is customary to gather together the zzizzit (fringes) on the four corners of the tallit {The four corners (arba kanfot) of the tallit symbolize the “four corners” of the earth. It is impractical for observant Jews to wear a tallit outside the synagogue, but they do wear a fringed undergarment all day, whose fringes are generally visible outside their clothing. That fringed garment is also known as the arba kanfot} and to wrap them around the index finger of one’s right hand. Later,  in the passage known as Parshat Zzizzit, the worshiper kisses the zzizzit every time the word zzizzit is said.  

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