“May it be Your will . . . that their homes not become their graves”—A prayer for the victims of the hurricanes

“. . . this was the Kohen Gadol’s prayer on the Day of Atonement when he left the Holy of Holies in peace . . .
May it be Your will, HaShem, our G-d and G-d of our ancestors, that this year that is coming upon us and upon all Your people, the house of Israel, be a year in which You open Your treasury for us; a year of abundance, a year of blessing . . . “

And concerning the inhabitants of the Sharon he would say: May it be Your will, HaShem, our G-d and the G-d of our ancestors, that their homes not become their graves.”

According to the ArtScroll Machzor for Yom Kippur, “The Kohen Gadol [High Priest] recited a special prayer for the people of Sharon because the earth there was not suitable for construction, and houses had to be rebuilt twice every seven years or they would collapse. Also, the houses in the valley were subject to landslides and flash floods. Hence the Kohen Gadol prayed that the inhabitants of Sharon not be trapped in the ruins of their homes (Yerushalmi Yoma 5:2) .