This prayer,
Hashkiveynu, is considered to be an extension of the
Geula, our prayer for Redemption. We cannot be free as a people unless we do the work of liberation each night as we face our fears of the dark, of the unknown, of the enemy within and without.
We do this work by attuning ourselves to the shelter of Peace that is spread over the whole of Life, regardless of passing circumstance.
We have no control over the forms of our life that are always passing away, always changing. That constant flux can be frightening. And when we live from fear, we don't have access to the depths of our wisdom and the breadth of our love.
And so the practice of
Hashkiveynu reminds us of that abiding Presence of Wholeness and Peace that holds all of us within its loving embrace, no matter how the forms of Life come and go.
