Rabbi’s Column
RTPV January 2026
Happy year of America’s 250th anniversary!
Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” when he was drafted in 1918 but he put it away until he revised the lyrics for Kim Smith to perform it in 1941. (Source: genius.com)
It’s lyrics are:
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
God bless America, my home sweet home
How will you make this prayer your own as we enter into the 250th year of this magnificent country of ours? How will you stand beside America? What tools will you use to guide her?What mountains and prairies have you seen and which ones are in your travel plans? Will you pause at the coast to marvel at this land of ours?
Perhaps the part of the song that is most malleable is the often–ignored Prelude:
While the storm clouds gather far across the sea (referencing WWII)
Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free
Let us all be grateful that we are far from there
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer
How would you introduce this song now? What storm clouds do you see gathering from beyond, from within? What freedoms do you relish in our country and what freedoms are still to begranted? I invite you to pause to be filled with gratitude for what this country is and to use that pause for fuel to make her what she can be.
God bless America, land that I love.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Barbara Symons