Tag Archive for "father"

Posts Tagged ‘father’

In Memoriam, Our Matriarch

Posted on: March 13th, 2018 by Alden

This is a new memorial prayer for the family matriarch. Here’s a link to the companion prayer, “In Memoriam, Our Patriarch.” These prayers are based on similar pieces for our living patriarch and matriarch. (In case anyone is worried, my mom is healthy, happy and aging with grace.)

In Memoriam, Our Matriarch
In memory of our matriarch,
A song of strength and hope.

Guardian of generations,
Keeper of traditions,
Hand of guidance and love,
We were blessed,
Throughout your days,
By your wisdom and steadfast purpose,
Your work to bind us to our heritage,
Your dedication to peace in our homes
And joy in our lives.
You reminded us to open our hearts
To our brothers and sisters,
Fathers and mothers,
Daughters and sons.
You reminded us to honor and cherish
Cousins of cousins of cousins,
And to live together, in harmony,
By G-d’s holy word.

G-d of motherly wisdom and grace,
Bless our family with health.
May the memories of our matriarch
Provide us with vision, endurance and hope.
May her unending devotion
Inspire us to live by our highest ideals,
Guided by Torah,
To help lift her soul to the highest heavens.
Bless our lives with laughter
And our days with purpose,
So that we bring radiance and splendor to our family
And to the world, in her honor.

Blessed are You, G-d of our mothers,
Who provides just and righteous women
In every generation.

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Postscript: This prayer is based on my prayer “For the Matriarch.”

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: Solovy Family Photo

In Memoriam, Our Patriarch

Posted on: September 13th, 2017 by Alden

This is a new memorial prayer for the family patriarch. The companion prayer, “In Memoriam, Our Matriarch,” will be posted in the next few weeks.

In Memoriam, Our Patriarch
In memory of our patriarch,
A song of dignity and honor.

Guardian of mitzvot,
Keeper of truths,
Hand of protection and peace,
We were blessed,
Throughout your days,
With your humor and compassion,
Your zest for life
And your zeal for family.
You reminded us to open our lives
To majesty and mystery,
To G-d’s justice and mercy.
You reminded us to seek radiance and splendor,
To live in awe of creation
And with compassion for each other.
You were a beacon of light,
Reminding us to choose joy over grief,
Laughter over tears.

G-d of fatherly patience and strength,
Bless our family with love.
May the memories of our patriarch
Provide us with vision, endurance and hope.
May his unending devotion
Inspire our family to deeds of righteousness and charity,
Guided by Torah,
To help lift his soul to the highest heavens.
Bless our lives with abundance
And our days with vigor,
So that we bring majesty and mystery to our lives,
And into the world, in his honor.

Blessed are You, G-d of our fathers,
You provide just and righteous men
In every generation.

Postscript: This prayer is based on my prayer “For the Patriarch.”

Photo Source: Solovy Family Photo

Vayishlach 5775: Family Healing

Posted on: November 30th, 2014 by Alden

In this week’s Torah portion, Jacob attempts to reconcile with his brother. This is a prayer for healing family wounds. Much as Jacob prepared to encounter Esau, this is a prayer for the spiritual willingness to heal. Choices to tailor the prayer to particular family situations are in [brackets]; use these choices or your own language. This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Family Healing
G-d of Old,
Our family has been fractured,
Torn apart by _________________ [anger, violence, death, alcoholism, suicide, disease, mental illness, neglect, abuse, abandonment, finances],
Old wounds that have steeped into our bones and our blood,
Our thoughts and our words.
Release me from my anger and my guilt,
So I may see my kin with new eyes –
Their losses and fears,
Their pain and shame –
And therefore find a source of
Forgiveness and renewed love.

Well of Blessings,
Lead us to new vision and new wisdom,
The place where love rests safely in our hearts
And peace waits quietly in our hands.

G-d of Generations,
Grant healing to my family, speedily,
So that we may rejoice together in Your gifts,
With joy and thanksgiving.

Postscript: Here’s the prayer I posted for Vayishlach 5773, “The Descent,” a prayer about wrestling with angels. My prayer “For Family” includes a similar message to this prayer, but more softly stated. Here are prayers of family praise: “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Sisters,” “For Our Brothers” and “For the Family Historian.” This prayer first appeared on this site on November 8, 2012.

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Photo Source: Pinterest, Family Constellations

Father’s Meditation, Revised

Posted on: January 20th, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer is to be said by fathers with children who have begun their independent lives. It’s a revision to a prayer of the same name. Today I wrote the companion piece, called “Mother’s Meditation.” The two prayers follow the same overall structure and rhythm. As I wrote the new meditation, it seemed clear that some of the new phraseology in “Mother’s Meditation” belonged in this prayer and that some of the phraseology in the original version of this piece belonged in the other prayer. Both prayers appear in Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Father’s Meditation
Gracious and Compassionate One,
Mother of the Universe,
Father of Life,
Source and Shelter,
Hear this prayer:

My children are Yours,
To guide and protect with Your strong hand,
To nurture and care with Your outstretched arm,
To hold and heal with Your righteous ways.
Grant them vitality and fortitude
As they build lives of their own.
Fill their days with meaning and purpose,
Joy and adventure,
Thanksgiving and peace.
Ease their burdens and relieve their struggles.
Grant them years of prosperity and serenity,
Wisdom and courage,
Gratitude and wonder.
May they enjoy the fruits of Your creation
In service to Torah and our People Israel.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
G-d of our ancestors,
G-d of generations.

Postscript: Here’s a parent’s prayer for when for when “My Child Leaves Home.” Click here for more prayers about family.

Photo Credit: fcaministers.com

Family Healing

Posted on: November 8th, 2012 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for healing family wounds. Choices to tailor the prayer to particular situations are in [brackets]. Use this or other language to describe your family circumstances. My prayer “For Family” includes a similar message, more softly stated. This prayer appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Well of Blessings,
Lead us to new vision and new wisdom,
The place where love rests safely in our hearts
And peace waits quietly in our hands.

G-d of Generations,
Grant healing to my family, speedily,
So that we may rejoice together in Your gifts,
With joy and thanksgiving.

Postscript: Here are prayers of family praise: “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Sisters,” “For Our Brothers” and “For the Family Historian.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new
prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

For A Critically-Ill Father

Posted on: July 27th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a healing prayer for fathers, structured in parallel to my prayer “For a Critically-Ill Mother.” My prayer “For a Critically-Ill Child” has a decidedly different structure and tempo. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For A Critically-Ill Father
Holy One,
G-d of health and healing,
My father’s body is failing.
Illness holds him.
Grief and fear hold me.

Ancient One,
Well of hope,
Grant my father
A quick and complete recovery.
Relieve his suffering.
Remove his pain.
Return him to health.
Restore him to life.

Rock of my heart,
Comfort and shelter,
You know the path ahead.
You know the journey.
You hear our prayers.
G-d who healed Miriam in the desert,
Bring Your healing power to my father
_______________ (father’s name in Hebrew or your native tongue)
So that he may know life and health,
Joy and peace.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
Creator of fatherly wisdom and strength,
Source of love,
Rock of life.

Postscript: Other prayers for healing include: “For a Critically Ill Child,” “For a Critically Ill Mother,” “For Surgery,” “Upon Recovery from Surgery” and “For Healing the Spirit.”

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

For Family

Posted on: July 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is about remembering the love of family and the desire to heal the wounds that can come between us. A quick note about the structure: There are several choices, identified in [brackets], so that readers can tailor the prayer to their families. Gender selections are noted with a slash, such as “brother / sister” or “son / daughter.” Also see a related prayer called “Family Healing.” Both prayers appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Family
G-d of generations,
Source of hope,
Flame of forgiveness,
Bless our family with kindness and respect,
Compassion and grace,
And the wisdom to heal the wounds of time.
Make me a brother/sister to my [brother(s) and sister(s)][siblings],
A son/daughter to my [father and mother][parents][step-mother][step-father],
A father/mother to my [son(s)][daughter(s)] and
A friend to my friends.
Give me the understanding and willingness
To be present in their moments of joy and grief,
Just as I pray that they will be present for mine.
Help me to forgive their weaknesses,
Just as I pray that they will forgive mine.
[For those who have harmed me, let me hold no anger or malice.]
May our bond [remain][become] powerful and sustaining
And our kinship a rock of support and strength.
Let love echo through my words
And dedication shine through my deeds.
Let my life become a testimony to the longings and aspirations
Of our ancestors.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
With love you gave us the gift of each other.

Postscript: Other prayers about family include: “Family Healing,” “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Sisters,” “For Our Brothers” and “For the Family Historian.”

If you use this prayer, please click “like” on this page and subscribe. Please take a moment to post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Thanks. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!”

A Prayer for Dad

Posted on: June 15th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer for Father’s Day. It’s from a series of prayers celebrating family. Each opens with the tone of psalm and ends with a blessing. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Patriarch
For our patriarch,
A song of dignity and honor.

Guardian of mitzvot,
Keeper of truths,
Hand of protection and peace,
We are blessed with your humor and compassion,
Your zest for life
And your zeal for family.
You remind us to open our lives to G-d’s majesty and mystery,
G-d’s justice and mercy.
You remind us to seek radiance and splendor,
Awe for creation and compassion for each other,
And choose joy over grief,
Laughter over tears.

G-d of fatherly patience and strength,
Bless our family with love
And our patriarch with vision, endurance and hope.
May his devotion inspire us to righteousness and charity,
Guided by Torah.
Bless our lives with abundance
And our days with vigor,
So that we bring majesty and mystery to our lives
And into the world.

Blessed are You, G-d of our fathers,
Who provides just and righteous men
In every generation.

Postscript: I welcome ideas for more topics in this series of family prayers. Others include: “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Brothers,” “For Our Sisters” and “For the Family Historian.” This prayer was first posted on June 19, 2010.

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column. For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For the Family Historian

Posted on: October 14th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for the one who holds the flame of family history. I wrote it in honor of our family historian, Irwin Keller. Irwin posted this prayer on a Jewish genealogy website and it was subsequently published in the spring 2010 edition of Morasha, the newsletter of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. It’s part of my series of prayers for family, including “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Brothers” and “For Our Sisters.”

Please listen along as you read. (Click on the triangle in the slider bar below. The entire text follows.)

For the Family Historian
For the family historian,
A song of thanksgiving.

Guardian of the family tree,
Keeper of our history,
We are blessed with your love and devotion,
Your tireless efforts to know our heritage,
Your work to keep us united,
Your joy in rediscovering brothers and sisters
Once separated, apart no more.
Your work reminds us to love and cherish the living,
To honor and praise the dead,
To embrace the lost,
To welcome each other home.

G-d of mystery and wonder,
Bless our family with strength and peace,
Wholeness and love,
Health and prosperity.
May sons and daughters find joy under the chupah.
May our parents be given long lives and easy deaths.
Bless us with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren,
So that the generations expand,
A wondrous celebration of Your gifts.

Blessed are You, G-d of our mothers and fathers,
Who delights in family wholeness and love.

Postscript: Other prayers for family members include: “For the Patriarch,” “For the Matriarch,” “For Our Brothers” and “For Our Sisters.”

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

Posts Tagged ‘father’

In Memoriam, Our Matriarch

In Memoriam, Our Patriarch

Vayishlach 5775: Family Healing

Father’s Meditation, Revised

Family Healing

For A Critically-Ill Father

For Family

A Prayer for Dad

For the Family Historian

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