NNLS Golden Jubilee Prayer

Written by Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg

The fiftieth is the Jubilee year, about which the Torah says:
בשנת היובל ההיא ישובו איש אל אחוזתו
On that Jubilee year, every person shall return to their inheritance. 
 
So on this Jubilee of our community may we return to our heritage of Torah, 
‘to listen, learn, teach, keep and do all the words of Your Torah in love’
committed to living according to the commandments and traditions of our Judaism, 
and to creating and serving our community
as Jews have always done.
 
Just as our synagogue was established on 
זאת חנוכת
Chanukkah, the festival of dedication,
so may we rededicate ourselves to its ideals,
following the path of its founders 
who, with faithful hearts and open, critical minds, 
determined to practise a Judaism loyal to our past,
honest about history, receptive to truth,
and ready to face the challenges of now
with integrity and courage.
 
הנרות הללו אנו מדליקין
May we who ‘have kindled these lights’ of our faith for fifty years,
who helped establish and support this community, 
and who’ve been supported by it,
welcome the lights of new generations
and nurture their flames.
 
May the Torah of younger generations of leaders be
נר לרגלי ואור לבתיבתי
‘a candle by our footsteps and a light upon our path’ for decades to come.
 
Younger or older, may we live faithfully by our creed of
תורת אמת
the Torah of truth,
and by the words on our foundation stone,
עולם חסד יבנה
‘The world is built upon loving kindness.’