Tag Archive for "soldiers prayers"

Posts Tagged ‘soldiers prayers’

Yizkor for a Lone Soldier

Posted on: July 22nd, 2014 by Alden

Young men and women from all over the world leave their families and come alone to Israel to live the dream of building lives here and serving our people in the military. The term is chayal boded – Lone Soldier – and Israel embraces them with love and care and, proudly but sadly, we also bury them with love and care. This is a new yizkor prayer for Lone Soldiers in the IDF, posted here in memory of Sgts. Nissim Sean Carmeli and Max Steinberg.

Yizkor for a Lone Soldier
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To ______________________ [full name],
A chayal boded who died in service to Israel.
May his / her dedication serve as a shining lamp of courage and love.
Bless the souls of all who have died in the name of our safety and security,
Fighting violence and terror in the name of our people.
Men and women who,
Like ______________________ [first name],
Answered the call of honor and duty.
Grant him / her a share in the world to come.
Bless his / her family with solace.
Ease their minds and console their hearts.
We stand with the defenders of Israel.
We honor the guardians of Zion.
We hold dear the sentries of Am Kadosh.
And we stand with their bravery and their sacrifice.
May his / her memory be sanctified with joy and love.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here’s a link to more prayers for Israel.

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: WikiMedia Commons

To the Soldier, To the Veteran

Posted on: November 5th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a prayer of honor for veterans. It’s a three-stanza prayer/poem with a parallel structure in each stanza. It is from a liturgy for Veterans Day. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. This prayer was read at a Veterans Day commemoration at Elon University. Click here to see the video.

To the Soldier, To the Veteran
These things I do not know:

The sound of a bullet.
The power of a blast.
The blood of a comrade.
The depth of your wound.
The terror at midnight.
The dread at dawn.
Your fear or your pain.

These things I know:

The sound of your honor.
The power of your courage.
The blood of your wound.
The depth of your strength.
The terror that binds you.
The dread that remains.
Your dignity and your valor.

For these things we pray:

The sound of your laughter.
The power of your voice.
The blood of your yearning.
The depth of your healing.
The joy that frees you.
The hope that remains.
Your wholeness and your love.

Postscript: Here’s a link to a related prayer called “In Times of War.” Click here for Memorial Day Prayers. I wrote the Veterans Day liturgy at the suggestion of my friend Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., editor of HUC-JIR continuing ed blog Tzeh U’limad. Special thanks to Rabbi Ruth for her suggestions and encouragement. Here are links to other prayers written at her suggestion: “Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue)” and “A Liturgy for 9-11”.

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

The Last Soldier

Posted on: October 20th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for peace that honors the soldier’s ultimate mission: peace. This prayer, and “Yizkor for a Soldier,” appear in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. May G-d grant peace to us and the entire world.

The Last Soldier
When the last soldier passes on,
When armies are disbanded and militias discharged,
When weapons are abandoned and armor discarded,
Your mission will, at last, be over.

For you know the soldier’s secret.
Yours was not a mission of war
Nor a mission of ruin.
Yours was not a mission of destruction
Nor a mission of death.
Your mission was safety, security, protection.
Your mission was honor, loyalty, service.
Your mission was to end violence, tyranny, despair.

When the last soldier passes on,
When the uniforms are retired and the final grave filled,
We will remember all who served and sacrificed for our nation.

Until then G-d of mercy,
Watch over our soldiers and our veterans.
Renew their courage.
Rebuild their strength.
Heal their wounds.
Bind their hearts with Your steadfast love.
Remember them,
Bless them,
Sustain them,
And give them peace.

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Postscript: Here’s a link to a related prayer called “In Times of War.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

A Prayer for Veterans Day

Posted on: November 4th, 2012 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer for Veterans Day originally written for the HUC-JIR continuing ed blog Tzeh U’limad. Click here to read a set of three Veterans Day prayers. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. Click here for a memorial (yizkor) prayer for soldiers. Click here for Memorial Day Prayers.

Veterans Day Prayer
G-d of compassion,
G-d of dignity and strength,
Watch over our veterans
In recognition of their loyal service to our nation.
Bless them with wholeness and love.
Shelter them.
Heal their wounds,
Comfort their hearts.
Grant them peace.

G-d of justice and truth,
Rock of our lives,
Bless our veterans,
These men and women of courage and valor,
With a deep and abiding understanding
Of our profound gratitude.
Protect them and their families from loneliness and want.
Grant them lives of joy and bounty.
May their dedication and honor
Be remembered as a blessing
From generation to generation.

Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.

Postscript: Here’s a link to a related prayer called “In Times of War.” Thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., editor of Tzeh U’limad, for her suggestions. This prayer, which also appeared on Beliefnet’s Prayables, was first published on November 10, 2011.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Memorial Day Prayers

Posted on: May 27th, 2012 by tobendlight

Here are two prayers for Memorial Day. One is a yizkor prayer for soldiers. The other, titled “The Last Soldier,” is a prayer for peace that honors the soldier’s journey. They appear in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. To listen along to each prayer, click on the triangle in the bars below. The text of each prayer follows.

Yizkor for a Soldier
I say this prayer in memory of Tom Christiansen z”l, my grade-school swimming coach, who gave his life in Vietnam. Thanks to the men and women who died protecting both of the lands that I love: the U.S. Military and the Israel Defense Forces.

G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To ______________________ [name],
My [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend]
Who died in service to our country during the
_________________________________________________ [name of war or conflict].
May his / her dedication serve as a shining lamp of courage and love.
May his / her memory be sanctified with joy and love.

Bless the souls of all who have died in the name of liberty and democracy,
Soldiers and veterans,
Civilians and professionals,
Men and women who answered the call of honor and duty.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

The Last Soldier

When the last soldier passes on,
When armies are disbanded and militias discharged,
When weapons are abandoned and armor discarded,
Your mission will, at last, be over.

When the last soldier passes on,
When the uniforms are retired and the final grave filled,
We will remember all who served and sacrificed for our nation.

Until then G-d of Old,
Watch over our soldiers and our veterans.
Renew their courage.
Rebuild their strength.
Heal their wounds.
Bind their hearts with Your steadfast love.
Remember them,
Bless them,
Sustain them,
And give them peace.

Postscript: See also Here’s a link to more yizkor and memorial prayers.

Photo Source: U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs

Yizkor for a Soldier

Posted on: December 7th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a yizkor prayer for soldiers. Thank you to the men and women who gave their lives in service to the lands I love: soldiers of the U.S. Military and the Israel Defense Forces. This is another in a series of focused yizkor prayer. I recite it for Tom Christiansen z”l who gave his life in Vietnam. It appear in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Yizkor for a Soldier
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To ______________________ [name],
My [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend]
Who died in service to our country during the
_________________________ [name of war or conflict].
May his / her dedication serve as a shining lamp of courage and love.
Bless the souls of all who have died in the name of liberty and democracy,
Soldiers and veterans,
Civilians and professionals,
Men and women who answered the call of honor and duty.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: This prayer was first posted for the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. See also “In Times of War” and three Veteran’s Day Prayers. It’s one of several focused yizkor prayer including: “In Memory of an Organ Donor” and “At the Hand of Violence.” Here’s a link to more yizkor and memorial prayers.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Veterans Day Prayers

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a three-prayer liturgy for Veterans Day written at the suggestion of my friend Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., editor of HUC-JIR continuing ed blog Tzeh U’limad. All three appear in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. The photo is my grandfather, David Solovy z”l, who served in World War I.

Blessed are You,
Protector and Redeemer,
Our Shield and our Stronghold.

To the Soldier, To the Veteran
These things I do not know:

The sound of a bullet.
The power of a blast.
The blood of a comrade.
The depth of your wound.
The terror at midnight.
The dread at dawn.
Your fear or your pain.

These things I know:

The sound of your honor.
The power of your courage.
The blood of your wound.
The depth of your strength.
The terror that binds you.
The dread that remains.
Your dignity and your valor.

For these things we pray:

The sound of your laughter.
The power of your voice.
The blood of your yearning.
The depth of your healing.
The joy that frees you.
The hope that remains.
Your wholeness and your love.

The Last Soldier
When the last soldier passes on,
When armies are disbanded and militias discharged,
When weapons are abandoned and armor discarded,
Your mission will, at last, be over.

When the last soldier passes on,
When the uniforms are retired and the final grave filled,
We will remember all who served and sacrificed for our nation.

Postscript: Here’s a link to a related prayer called “In Times of War.” Special thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., yet again, for her suggestions and encouragement.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Posts Tagged ‘soldiers prayers’

Yizkor for a Lone Soldier

To the Soldier, To the Veteran

The Last Soldier

A Prayer for Veterans Day

Memorial Day Prayers

Yizkor for a Soldier

Veterans Day Prayers

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