Please – Sim Shalom- Jewish Prayer for Peace

A simple echo peace song for kids that can be used in Jewish or non Jewish settings.

Please (Sim Shalom) is a song I wrote in an effort to encourage each and every one of us to seek our own role in the sacred effort towards peace in our world.  

One of the most powerful things I glean from prayer is that through petitioning God for what I initially think God needs to grant, I often discover ways that I can take responsibility towards meeting the goal I’m imagining. This is particularly true of Mi Sheberach prayers- I ask God to help a person I love heal, feel better, and I am always reminded that a visit, gift or phone call will help that person, and I should take the steps that I can towards improving their condition.

I lead this song three times: the first time I ask participants to repeat back to me at full volume as we sing to the heavens. Next, we sing softer and look around the room as we ask one another for these things. Finally, I sing the song without an audible echo.  This “only in your head” verse is an example of audiation- which is a cognitive skill necessary for literacy. 

Engagement Techniques:

• Echo.
• Make up your own verse. 
• Facilitate a discussion asking for examples of what each of these things might look and feel like.

Big Questions:

Ask community members if they can report a time they saw, felt, or did one an example of one of these things: peace, goodness, blessing, grace, kindness, mercy. 

Revisit and Review

At the conclusion of the song or service, invite participants to share something that they are going to contribute this week in our sacred journey towards peace