Prayer for Breaking of Bread
Creator of all things, Source of Life, Holy One by many names:
We gather with gratitude for this fruit of the earth, born from ancient trees whose roots run deep in contested soil. Bless the hands that planted, the hands that tended, the hands that harvested these dates from the land of Jericho.
As we share this food together, may we remember that the earth itself transcends our human divisions. May we honor the farmers who practice sumud - steadfast love for the land - across generations of upheaval.
Bless all who labor to feed others. Bless all who tend the earth with care. Bless all who continue to plant hope in places where others sow despair.
May this fruit nourish not only our bodies but our commitment to justice, our capacity for compassion, and our courage to read our sacred texts in ways that build up rather than tear down.
Grant us wisdom to distinguish between conquest and cultivation, between taking and tending, between the politics of elimination and the practice of care.
As we eat together, may we taste the sweetness of a future where all people can dwell safely under their own vines and fig trees, where the earth yields her increase, and where every child can know the taste of freedom.
For the gift of this food, for the persistence of those who grew it, and for the hope that sustains us all - we give thanks.
As we eat together in silence, may we remember those who planted, those who tended, those who harvested, and those who continue to call this contested land home.
Amen. Blessed be. May it be so.
Context
This blog post draws from recent conversations exploring the Book of Joshua through both PARDES (the traditional Jewish hermeneutical framework of Peshat, Remez, Drash, and Sod) and contemporary decolonial biblical criticism. The analysis examines how ancient conquest narratives in Joshua connect to modern-day Palestinian liberation theology and Indigenous decolonial perspectives.
The PARDES methodology reveals multiple layers of meaning in Joshua 2, from the literal narrative of Rahab and the spies to deeper spiritual and prophetic interpretations. Meanwhile, decolonial biblical critique challenges Western colonial readings of conquest texts, offering liberative hermeneutics that center marginalized voices and resist imperial interpretations.
This intersectional approach to biblical interpretation demonstrates how ancient texts can speak prophetically to contemporary struggles for justice, land sovereignty, and liberation from colonial oppression.