Â鶹ԼÅÄ

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Rabbi Warren Elf

Good morning.

Seventy years ago today the first British atomic weapons test, called Hurricane, was successfully conducted aboard the frigate HMS Plym.

When I was growing up we were very aware of the Cold War, of nuclear weapons, of the likelihood that they could be used and the devastation they could cause. CND was in its heyday, campaigning for the banning of nuclear weapons and unilateral disarmament.

With the end of the Cold War, Glasnost and change in Europe, thanks to Mikhail Gorbechev who died at the end of August, there was real hope that perhaps there could be an end in sight to the terror and fear caused by the threat of nuclear war.

Yet once again the possibility and threat of nuclear war has raised its ugly head. We have been aware in recent years of concerns about unscrupulous leaders of some nations acquiring the capability of nuclear weapons but we have hoped that the international community would be able to monitor and deal with these threats.

So to hear the threats coming from a major international power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, who have already violated other countries’ sovereignty – it raises all those fears once again.

It almost puts all the other current concerns we have in the shade because the threat of nuclear war is so frightening and unsettling.

So, Eternal God, whose presence is over all of us, help us through our prayers and our deeds to be able to build trust in our world. We ask You to spread Your shelter of peace over all dwellers on earth, over all lands and peoples affected by war or fear of war, bringing calm to conflict and peace of mind to all who live in fear.

Show less