Out of the depths of our despair we called on you, o G-d, and out of the depths of Your love and Your holiness, you answered us.
You Who sets prisoners free, Who liberates the enslaved, Who brings the caged from darkness to light, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the lives of the hostages that You, in Your mercy, have returned to their homes and to the loving embrace of their families.
May their healing begin, and may Your comforting Presence walk with them as they seek to overcome the dark shadows that remain after their ordeal. Give strength to them, to their families and caregivers, as they seek reintegration into a world where children are allowed to be children, where the voice of bride and groom will be heard in our Land, and where one generation shall look at a younger generation and feel truly blessed.
Also we pray, G-d, we plead that the remaining hostages receive Your compassionate grace so that they, too, can see the light of redemption and taste the sweet fruit of liberation. For Your great name’s sake, do not abandon them. For those that have descended into the bowels of the earth are as if dead. They cannot praise You. Let our exultation and gratitude at Your saving power be a mere foretaste of the overwhelming praise that will come to You when all of our brothers and sisters in Israel are dancing in the streets of Jerusalem.
And let us say, amen.