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Archive for the ‘Hopes’ Category

For Creating a Home

Posted on: February 1st, 2018 by Alden

This is a prayer about the spiritual aspects of creating a home. It can be used from the moment one conceives of the idea of creating a new home until the feeling arrives that the home space is complete. It can also be used as a meditation before affixing a mezuzah to the front door — or any door — of the home.

For Creating a Home
G-d of our mothers and fathers,
Look with kindness on me/us as I/we
Create a new home,
An expression of love.
Let me/us build a place of laughter and delight,
Where Torah guides me/us
And acts of righteousness and charity begin.
Let this be a refuge and a shelter,
An oasis of joy and celebration,
Where friends and family
Are drawn together by a deep sense of welcome,
And a haven of generations
Where we gather to honor each other.

Bless this home,
And all who enter,
With love, contentment and peace.

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Postscript: Here’s a prayer to be said “Before Moving” and a prayer for “Quiet.”

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Source: Moreshet Auction House

Art and Practice

Posted on: January 14th, 2018 by Alden

Send a blessing. Be a blessing. These are two of the arts and practices of inspiring love and sowing peace. Here’s a new meditation on embodying G-d’s gifts.

Art and Practice
These are the practices of love,
And the arts of peace…

Gratitude is the practice of sending blessings.
Compassion is the art of being a blessing.
Kindness is the practice of granting mercy.
Forgiveness is the art of being mercy.
Wonder is the practice of seeking holiness.
Humility is the art of being holiness.
Hope is the practice of seeing abundance.
Joy is the art of being abundance.

These are the practices of love,
And the arts of peace.
Gifts of G-d,
To share with each other.

Photo Source: Connection to Healing

To Hear Me Sing

Posted on: December 20th, 2017 by Alden

This is a prayer of yearning, yearning for healing and for the support of others along the way.

To Hear Me Sing
Are you awake enough to hear me?
Are you alert enough to see me?
Are you present enough to stand with me?

Brother, I need your courage and your vision.
Sister, I need your strength and your wisdom.
The shadow of doubt
Has darkened my sight,
And the cold wind of despair
Has settled in my bones.
Loneliness and grief
Have wrapped themselves
Around my heart.

G-d of Old,
What secret truth
Have You hidden in this longing?
What Torah
Have You concealed in this yearning?
What moment of discovery will come
When this sorrow breaks
And I begin to sing again?

Brother, walk with me through this darkness.
Sister, walk with me toward the healing light.
Source and Shelter,
Guide us back –
Through troubling days
And sleepless nights –
To joy and wonder,
Awe and splendor,
Quiet and peace.

Postscript: See also: “We are Music.”

Photo Source: Amoré

For the URJ Biennial 2017

Posted on: December 5th, 2017 by Alden

I’m leaving Israel for the URJ Biennial 2017. Here at Ben Gurion Airport, I finished this prayer for all of us throughout the world converging on Boston to celebrate our amazing liberal Jewish lives, the wisdom that comes from this Movement and the people who are dedicated to a vibrant, responsive, inclusive Judaism for all.

For the URJ Biennial 2017
May the One who blessed our mothers and our fathers,
Our parents and our ancestors,
Bless the organizers and participants
In the URJ Biennial 2017
To come together
In holy convocation,
As a joyous congregation,
In rockin’ jubilation,
And holy celebration,
To strengthen our foundation,
And renew our dedication,
To God, to Torah and to liberal Jewish life,
So that the roots of Reform remain strong and vital,
Creating wisdom that echoes throughout world.

Source of understanding,
Rock of our lives,
Let the love of our people and our heritage
Flow from Boston
Throughout the United States
And into the four corners of the earth,
Wherever Jews seek insight and understanding,
Wherever acts of charity and deeds of tikun olam
Are performed in Your name,
Wherever justice is pursued.
For ourselves,
For our families,
For our congregations,
For our children,
And for the future of the Jewish people.

Photo Source: URJ

The Largest Prayer

Posted on: October 28th, 2017 by Alden

This is a new meditation on prayer, written in three- and six-word lines and inspired by my new Facebook group, Six-Word Prayers. Please feel free to join the group and to contribute.

The Largest Prayer
How small is the largest prayer?
A breath. A word. A whisper.
How immense is the deepest yearning?
A world. A universe. An eternity.
Oh my soul,
Oh my longing,
Oh my heart,
Oh my being…
How dear is this glorious life?
How precious are your beautiful spirits?
G-d spoke, the world burst forth.
When you spoke, my life resounded.
Love and joy.
Hope and passion.
Wisdom and gratitude.
Mystery and adventure.
How small is the largest prayer?
A blink. A heartbeat. And forever.

Postscript: Here are more meditations on prayer: “Whispered Prayer,” “Prayer with Wings” and “Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing.”

Photo by Alden Solovy

My Life in Yours

Posted on: October 23rd, 2017 by Alden

About four years ago I wrote a love song. As I strolled alone along Jerusalem’s old railway walking path, these words simply appeared. Strange. I wasn’t dating anyone, so why would a love song simply appear? Here are two versions of “My Life in Yours,” the first is a song of yearning for love; the second, which follows, is a wedding prayer recited by one partner to the other or said together in unison. The differences in the two are small, but key.

My Life in Yours – A Love Song
When my heart whispers for you,
When my breath calls your name,
When my eyes sparkle with your grace,
I will plant my life in yours.

When my hands yearn for your healing,
When my ears tune to your voice,
When my pulse beats with your footsteps,
I will plant my life in yours.

The sky, the sea, the horizon,
The moments, the days and the years.
The light, the hope, the glory,
The hours, the seasons, the tears.

When your heart whispers for me,
When your breath calls my name,
When your pulse beats with my footsteps,
I will plant my life in yours…
I will plant this life in yours.

My Life in Yours – A Wedding Prayer
My heart whispers for you,
And my breath calls your name,
As my eyes sparkle with your grace,
I plant my life in yours.

My hands yearn for your healing,
My ears tune to your voice,
As my pulse beats with your footsteps,
I plant my life in yours.

The sky, the sea, the horizon,
The moments, the days and the years.
The light, the hope, the glory,
The hours, the seasons, the tears.

Now your heart whispers for me,
And your breath calls my name,
As your pulse beats with my footsteps,
I plant my life in yours.
I plant this life in yours.

Postscript: I recorded myself singing the tune to this piece to share here, but I’m too shy — yes, I said shy — to post it. Here are links to my prayers about love: “Let Love,” “The Cut That Heals,” “For New Love,” “To Seek Your Love,” “A Heart of Love” and “A Moment of Love.” Several of these prayers appear in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. If you like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Without a Sound

Posted on: September 19th, 2017 by Alden

For Rosh Hashanah, a new prayer of faith in God’s love, a deep level of trust that’s needed for me to do the hard and necessary work of t’shuva.

Without a Sound
I whispered a secret prayer to God,
Who whispered a secret answer to me,
So quietly
That it arrived
In the chambers of my soul
Without a sound.

Oh how I wish to hear Your voice.
Oh how I wish to know Your dreams for me.
Oh how I wish to let my heart run wild and free,
As light as a bird song,
As true as the call of the shofar,
As certain as an angel calling out holy, holy, holy…

I whispered a secret prayer to God,
Who whispered a secret answer to me,
To trust
That blessings arrive
In the chambers of my soul
Without a sound.

Postscript: Here are more prayers for the High Holidays. Thanks to my friend Shmuel Browns for allowing use of his photograph.

Photo Source: Israel Tours/Shmuel Browns

Before Moving

Posted on: June 3rd, 2017 by Alden

This simple prayer is for a common milestone: moving. Whether it’s across town or across continents – and I’ve done both, several times in the past eight years – moving marks important moments in our lives.

Before Moving
G-d of the wanderer and sojourner,
The time has come for me to move on.
The time has come to build a life in a new place.
Grant me/us a move free of troubles,
Complications and strife.
Clear the obstacles and remove any danger,
Hidden or seen.
May this passage be for growth.
May this passage be for a blessing.
May this journey be for grace.

Grant me/us courage
As I/we change homes [and jobs]
Building a new community of
Friends, neighbors and colleagues.

[Let my children find joyous places
Among new companions,
New schools and new activities.]

G-d of shelter,
Grant peace on my/our new home,
Grant blessings to those
Who help me/us on the way
And grant joy and security to me/our family.

Postscript: Moving can also be accompanied by other milestones, such as “Starting a New Job” and when “My Child Leaves Home.”

Photo Source: Rainier Overseas Movers

How’s Your Prayer Life?

Posted on: April 15th, 2017 by Alden

How’s your prayer life? That was the opening question from Rabbi Marc Soloway in our conversation on prayer and new liturgy for his podcast “A Dash of Drash,” which you can hear here. We recorded it after a morning hike in Colorado’s Flatirons. My prayer life is uneven, at times strong, at times floundering, always strengthened by a regular prayer practice, which is the topic of my ELItalk, “Falling in Love with Prayer.” Here’s a prayer about our prayers lifting each other when we struggle.

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing
Let my soul rise
On the wings of your prayer.
My heart, heavy.
My voice, tired.
My strength, fleeting.
My breath, shallow.
My sight, obscured.

Your voice dazzles,
Filling the space with radiance and majesty.
A sacred melody.
A call of the ages.
An echo of eternity.
A pulse of holiness.
A harmony of light.

Let my yearning ascend
On the rhythm of your song.
Let my hope soar
On the music of your words.
Lend me your courage and your thunder.
And when we reach the gates of heaven,
I will be witness to your mercy and love.

Postscript: This prayer first appeared on this site on October 11, 2015. Prayers about prayer is a recurring theme in my work, including: “Invitations,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer,” “Prayer for You, Prayer for Me” and “Prayer with Wings.”

Please check out my Meet the Author video and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Photo: Rabbi Marc Soloway and Alden Solovy in the Flatirons

Bind Our Hearts

Posted on: January 8th, 2017 by Alden

Mazal Tov to my daughter Nikki Braziel-Solovy and her man Prometheus Kevin Trotsky on their engagement. This wedding day prayer alludes to the sheva brachot – the set of seven prayers said under the chuppah, the wedding canopy. Each of the stanzas contains seven lines. The middle stanza is an interpretation of the sheva brachot, borrowing hints and ideas from each of the seven prayers. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Bind Our Hearts
Hope and love,
Love and promise,
Promise and commitment,
Commitment and action,
A sacred pairing,
A holy union,
A celebration of life.

Let this cup of sweetness overflow
Into G-d’s glorious handiwork,
As we delight in creation,
Seeing the divine in each other,
Sharing this abundance with the generations
As loving companions and dedicated friends,
Rejoicing together, now and forever.

Bind our hearts with awe,
Bind our hearts with wonder,
Grant us wisdom and understanding,
Patience and forgiveness,
Days of radiance and light,
Nights of comfort and peace,
Lives of blessing, together.

Postscript: See also “A Moment of Love,” “For an Open Heart” and “Blessing for a Spouse/Partner.”

Photo Source: Family Snaps on iCloud

Archive for the ‘Hopes’ Category

For Creating a Home

Art and Practice

To Hear Me Sing

For the URJ Biennial 2017

The Largest Prayer

My Life in Yours

Without a Sound

Before Moving

How’s Your Prayer Life?

Bind Our Hearts

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6

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