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In אבינו מלכנו, among other places, we ask HaShem, "נקום לעינינו נקמת דם עבדיך השפוך", which roughly translates to, "let us see You avenge the spilled blood of Your servants."

1) Why do we have a need to witness HaShem's vengeance on our enemies? Doesn't much of our faith tell us that it will happen, and isn't that good enough?

2) The rest of אבינו מלכנו is pretty peaceful (as are, if I'm not mistaken, most other prayer sets that make this or a similar request). Isn't this pretty much out of place?

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In the Chabad nusach we omit the word לעינינו, so we are not asking to see G-d's revenge; only that it should happen. – Michoel Sep 27 '12 at 5:29
@msh210 thanks. – Seth J Sep 27 '12 at 8:28
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@Michoel, in "Av harachamim" (after the haftara on Shabas) also? – msh210♦ Sep 27 '12 at 14:54
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my guess is that "let us see" is equivalent to "within our days" – Charles Koppelman Sep 27 '12 at 18:26
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@msh210 In Av Harachamim (in Nusach Ashkenaz), the word l'eineinu appears twice. (" וְיִנְקום לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדָיו הַשָּׁפוּךְ") and ("יִוָּדַע בַּגּויִם לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ הַשָּׁפוּךְ"). Chabad omits the word from the first but not the second, which is a pasuk in Tehillim. – HodofHod Sep 27 '12 at 19:42

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This is based on the verse "Yivada' bagoyim l'eineinu nikmas dam avadecha hashafuch" (Tehillim 79:10), and is by no means innovated by the nusach. The Ibn Ezra writes that "before our eyes" means that we pray that we should survive to see HaShem's salvation of the Jewish people from our murderous enemies, and they should not have the opportunity to wipe us out first.

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