Archive for the ‘Better World’ Category

 

In Memory of a Statesman, John McCain (1936-2018)

Posted on: August 26th, 2018 by Alden

A prayer to honor the memory of the late Senator John McCain — a war hero, a patriot and a man of integrity — who fought a brave final battle against brain cancer.

In Memory of a Statesman, John McCain (1936-2018)
G-d of history,
Bless the soul of the late Senator John McCain,
A leader faithful to his country,
A man of principles and action,
A soldier, a hero, a statesman, a lawmaker and a dedicated citizen,
Focused on justice and liberty
In the name of a healthy Republic and a vital Democracy.

Source of mercy,
Reward his legacy by providing us with leaders
With a true vision for a future,
Leaders with a deep understanding of Your instructions
To seek justice and pursue peace.
May the memory of his life
And the blessings of his soul
Inspire a new wave of selfless public service,
Lawmakers and officeholders willing to stand strong for their ideals,
Mavericks in pursuit of a better world.

Source of blessings,
Deal kindly with the soul of John McCain,
Who left a legacy of intelligent and caring leadership,
A legacy of inspiration and love of country,
A legacy of patriotism for the generations.
Grant him a perfect rest under Your canopy of peace.
May his soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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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: Wikipedia

Psalms of Protest 7 to 10

Posted on: August 11th, 2018 by Alden

Sunday is the first anniversary of the neo-Nazi “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va, which is the impetus behind Psalm of Protest 7. Psalm of Protest 10 reflects the structure of the Ashrei, with an acrostic as the core stanza. Here are links to Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3 and Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6.

Bigots in the Streets: Psalm of Protest 7
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of decency,
When bigots stalk the streets,
When racism is flaunted in the public square
And hatred is embraced in the courtyards of power.
Open, you gates!
Let virtue and civility pour forth
To drown the voices of malice and rancor,
To flood the hearts of bitterness
With love, tolerance and understanding.
Let the voice of unity
Find purchase in the hearts of racists and fanatics.
Let decency flow forth like living waters,
To heal the heart of hatred.

Cruel Oppression: Psalm of Protest 8
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of mercy,
When callousness pursues the helpless
And cruelty is cloaked in righteousness.
Open, you gates!
Open to the cries of the oppressed,
The immigrant, the refugee,
The hungry and the orphaned.
Bereft by the hands of governments,
Despots and their ministers,
Bereft by war and violence,
Abandoned and despairing.
Open, you gates!
Let mercy flow forth like living waters,
To heal the heart of misery.

Sexual Abuse by Political Leaders: Psalm of Protest 9
A psalm of protest,
Sung at the gates of virtue,
When leaders assault women
And accuse their victims of immorality,
When legislators grope boys
And blame their prey of deceit,
When presidents mock the molested and their advocates.
Open you gates!
Open to the cries of the abused,
Open to the cries of the injured and the scorned,
Traumatized by the leaders of governments,
Traumatized by the heads of colleges, universities and schools,
Traumatized by the stewards of religious institutions.
Open you gates!
Let virtue flow forth like living waters,
To wash away rape, abuse and sexual assault.

To Battle Injustice: Psalm of Protest 10
Happy are the ones who battle injustice,
For whom the world sings praises.
Happy are the ones who stand united,
Their voices become a trumpet of truth.

A psalm of protest.
Admonish the ruler who misuses power.
Beset an evil government with judgment.
Call the people to the streets.
Dispatch the brave and the free in cries of protest.
Entreat the spirit of mercy.
Forge a sword of truth.
Grievance is your staff and
Honesty is your shield.
Injustice will shatter like pounded rock.
Joy and hope will grow roots in its place.
Keep yourself true,
Letting neither anger nor vengeance become your cause.
Make not an ally of violence,
Nor a friend of hatred.
Open your heart to all.
Protect the innocent,
Quiet the hearts of the victims,
Restore kindness to our nation.
Speak out, speak out.
Tomorrow rise to speak out, again.
Until all of us are free from tyranny, free from the
Vulgarity of power abused.
Your voices raised, Your feet marching, to the
Zenith of tikkun olam.

Happy are the ones who battle injustice.
For their hearts will be sanctified in heaven
And remembered on earth.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Postscript: These Psalms of Protest combine the unique form and language of the Psalmist with the prophetic voice crying out for justice. Psalms often build upon one another, expanding or focusing a theme, which is true for this series, as well. As a result, I’m posting these works in groups.

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: Social Justice Quotes

Peace Will Come

Posted on: July 29th, 2018 by Alden

This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press. This Joyous Soul offers a bridge between the language of traditional prayer and the language of personal experience. “Peace Will Come” reflects the yearning in the Amidah ending verse, oseh shalom. Read the title piece from This Joyous Soul by clicking here.

Peace Will Come
Peace will come,
Through the grace of G-d
And the actions of humanity:
Compassion and kindness,
Forgiveness and love,
Patience and gratitude,
Justice and mercy,
Empathy and understanding,
Each act a yearning,
Each deed a longing,
For wholeness and tranquility
In our world.

You who makes peace in the highest heavens,
Guide our hearts and our hands
In service to each other and Your world,
To bring peace to all the nations of the earth,
All people, everywhere.

© 2019 CCAR Press from This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings

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Postscript: CCAR Press is now taking pre-publication orders of This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings. It is a natural outgrowth of my first CCAR Press volume, This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day, which provides prayers and meditations for the days and seasons of our lives.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer.” 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: Alden Solovy

Psalms of Protest 4, 5 and 6

Posted on: July 21st, 2018 by Alden

The second set of three in a new series, “Psalms of Protest.” This set — posted for Tisha b’Av 2018 — begin with the echo of lamentations. Those who are familiar with the news in both Israel and the U.S. will hear allusions to controversies in both nations. I’m posting these works in groups. Here are links to Psalms of Protest 1, 2 and 3.

Abuse of Power: Psalm of Protest 4
A psalm of protest,
Before broken towers of liberty,
Sung in ashes and sackcloth,
When presidents embrace strongmen,
And prime ministers sanction hatred,
When politicians defile history,
And leaders oppress the outcast.
Oh broken trust!
Oh fractured promise!
How will we rebuild the halls of freedom?
How will we restore the courts of justice?
Deliver us from oppression and tyranny,
From leaders who forget the past and ignore the future.
Let the upright rise to lead,
And the sound of joy replace these cries.

Abuse of Trust: Psalm of Protest 5
A psalm of protest,
Before the broken gates of conscience,
Sung in ashes and sackcloth,
When lies are held as truth,
And citizens go blind before despots,
When judges are appointed to oppress,
And police do the bidding of clerics.
Oh twisted logic!
Oh reign of deceit!
How will we walk the path to renewal,
Cluttered with the remnants of trust?
How will we walk the path to peace,
Cluttered with the ruins of treachery?
Deliver us from the captains of war,
From leaders who rewrite the past and destroy the future.
Let the upright rise to lead,
And the sound of joy replace these lamentations.

Restore Justice: Psalm of Protest 6
A psalm of protest,
Sung to God.
When villains rose up to destroy justice,
You drove them out like a plague upon Your land.
When evil forces rose to ensnare the nation,
You cast them in a pit.
When deceit rose up to conquer truth,
You cut the chords of dishonesty
And silenced the voice of falsehood.
How long will false leaders mock Your law?
How long will princes and potentates,
Prime ministers and presidents,
Defy Your will?
How long with corrupt judges and officers of the court,
Bid in secret with duplicity and infidelity?
How long will the innocent by subjugated?
Praise to You,
The One who restores justice,
Establishes mercy,
Frees the captive and
Brings low the haughty.
Strip treachery from the halls of power,
And cast your shelter upon the earth.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
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Postscript: These Psalms of Protest combine the unique form and language of the Psalmist with the prophetic voice crying out for justice.

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: Alden Solovy

For Children at Our Borders

Posted on: June 17th, 2018 by Alden

A prayer against the injustice of children taken from parents by U.S. immigration authorities, parents seeking asylum in this free democratic nation. In six weeks, some 2,000 children have been separated from their parents at the border.

For Children at Our Borders
G-d of mothers and fathers,
G-d of babies and children,
Youth and teens,
The voice of agony echoes across the land,
As children are taken from their parents,
Perverting our history as a nation of immigrants,
Perverting our values,
Perverting the ways of justice and peace.
These children
Wait in misery
To be reunited with their families
So that a few may reap the political rewards
Of their suffering
By playing tough at our borders.

Source of grace,
Creator of kindness and goodness,
You call upon us to stand in the name of justice and fairness,
To witness against this abuse of power,
To battle the systematic assault on human beings,
To speak out against their suffering.

Bless those who rise up against this horror.
Give them courage and determination.
Bless those who plead on behalf of the oppressed and the subjugated
Before the seats of power.
May the work of their hands never falter
Nor despair deter them from this holy calling.

Bless those now in bondage at the hand of the U.S. government.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Release them. Free them. Heal them from trauma.
Reunite them with their families.
Hasten the day of their reunion.

Blessed are You, G-d of All Being,
Who summons us to oppose violence, oppression, slavery and injustice.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Postscript: See also “Sleeping Prophets,” a prayer calling for each of us to rise up to stand for justice. “For Government” is a prayer for just and righteous political leaders.

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: NPR/Eric Gay/AP

Lamentation from Both Sides of the Fence

Posted on: May 17th, 2018 by Alden

On a bus-stop bench in my Jerusalem neighborhood this morning, a couple in Muslim garb spoke softly to each other. On the same bench, an ultra-Orthodox man sat studying Talmud. Signs of hope for peace, for coexistence, are abundant in this city. They’ve been overwhelmed by images and emotions from actions at the Gaza border fence. What do we say to G-d in these moments of anguish? We cry in pain, we beseech heaven with our lamentations, and we beseech each other with our wailing. We ask, isn’t there a better way?

Crafted to avoid politics or accusation, this lament is for everyone who has hardened their positions, be they politically right or left, Israeli or Palestinian. It’s for everyone on both sides of the fence and around the world who claim to know the truth, the undeniable validity of their views and exactly who to blame. It asks simply this: that we weep together. The first stanza alludes to Isaiah 2:4: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” The final stanza quotes Lamentations 1:16: “For these things do I weep, my eyes are flowing with tears.”

Let this wailing crack open our hearts to each other: Jew to Jew, Jew to Muslim, Muslim to Jew, Muslim to Muslim, Israeli to Palestinian, Palestinian to Israeli. And after we wail, let us pray for peace, let us pray that we sit together on the same benches, in friendship, creating a new legacy, together.

Lamentation from Both Sides of the Fence
Oh, my people,
Look at what we’ve done,
And look at what we’ve become,
Hardening our hearts,
Shutting our eyes,
Closing our minds,
Banishing justice and love from our midst,
Turning fears into swords,
And hopes into spears,
Defending, always defending,
Our divine rights
To sovereign land.

Woe to the land that has soaked up so much blood.
Woe to the sky that has witnessed so much death.
Woe to the sea that cannot calm our grieving souls.

You who cast peace and prosperity to the winds,
Chasing hope to the clouds,
Banishing sanity to the netherworlds,
We have lost too many sons,
We have grieved too many daughters,
We rend our clothes and sit in sackcloth too often,
And we are crying, always crying,
Deep in our veins.

Alas!
Darkness marches and madness sings,
‘Keep on, keep on, for this is the only path,’
While death dances with glee shouting,
‘Keep on, keep on, there is no other way.’

Oh, my people,
Look at what we’ve done,
And look at what we’ve become.
For these things do I weep,
My eyes are flowing with tears:
For the dead,
For the children,
For our aching hearts,
For this yearning for peace.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

New here? Subscribe here to get my newest prayers by email.
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Postscript: See also “For Peace in the Middle East” and “When Peace Comes: A Meditation.”

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: PranaShanti

For Parkland, Florida

Posted on: February 18th, 2018 by Alden

Received by email this morning:

Dear Mr. Solovy,

I wanted to thank you for your prayer “For the Children of Newtown” that we found at reformjudaism.org. These comforting words have now been shared to thousands and more at my own congregation the night of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, at a City of Parkland Prayer Vigil, and this afternoon at a Broward County teacher’s labor union. I am only sorry that I have to write you to say that I needed to use this prayer and substitute Newtown for Parkland 6 years after you wrote this prayer.

On looking at your website I saw you just posted on 2/14 about love and it was so beautiful and wanted to ask if you could perhaps write a prayer for our suffering here in Parkland, FL. We are a bit too close to what is happening to sit still and think, but I know we would be appreciative and would share your words for comfort

Shavua tov,
Rabbi Melissa Stollman
Director of Lifelong Learning
Congregation Kol Tikvah

I finished this an hour later…

For Parkland, Florida
Oh grief,
This grief suddenly forced upon us
With violence and weapon,
That your names have become prayers,
To keep us safe from violence,
That your sweet lives,
Once held with joy and light,
Are now among the accusers of those who fail
To protect us from the plague of guns.
Scott, Aaron, Chris, Martin
Luke, Cara, Jamie, Nicholas
Gina, Alex, Joaquin
Alaina, Peter, Meadow
Helena, Alysa, Carmen

Oh grief,
This grief suddenly forced upon us
With malice and anger,
That Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida,
Would join the list of schools attacked,
Traumatized with horror,
Knowing that this hasn’t ended yet,
Let justice prevail.

Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of this massacre in Parkland, Florida.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of mercy,
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Ease their suffering and release their trauma.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal,
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.

Remember the families and friends
Of the dead and the bereaved
With consolation and solace.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.
May they find hope and grace.

G-d of Consolation,
Every soul is Yours,
A world, unique and holy.
Let Your peace reign quickly among us.
Let violence, hatred and terror vanish.
Let Your comfort descend from heaven,
And let the righteous rest in peace.

© 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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Postscript: This is a combination of new writing and elements from “For the Children of Newtown” and “One is Everything,” two more prayers after violence and terror.

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: ABC Action News

For the Sufis of the Sinai

Posted on: November 26th, 2017 by Alden

At least 300 are dead after an attack on a Sufi mosque in the Northern Sinai on Friday, including at least 27 children. More than 125 people were also injured in this coordinated assault that began with a bomb blast and continued as terrorist militants gunned down fleeing worshipers from a packed mosque.

For the Sufis of the Sinai
Oh people of conscience,
Cry out.
For man has again turned violent,
Murdering and maiming the innocent,
Worshipers in the act of prayer.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of terror in the Northern Sinai,
Sufi innocents,
The hundreds murdered and wounded
By the hand of wickedness,
The hand of malevolence,
As they praised Your Name.
Each one a human.
Each one a life.
Each one enough to cry out to heaven.

Remember the survivors of this horror,
The injured, the witnesses, the mourners,
The new widow and the new orphan,
Those in shock and those in trauma.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.

Heavenly guide,
G-d of refuge,
Hand of love and shelter,
Grant the Sufis of the Sinai,
And all the people of Egypt,
Your protection,
Your wholeness and Your healing.
Let violence, hatred and terror vanish,
Let comfort descend from heaven,
And let the righteous rest in peace.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This new prayer combines elements of three other prayers written in the wake of violence: “One is Everything: A Meditation on Terror and Numbers,” “Racist Violence against Houses of Worship” and “For Paris.”

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: Business Insider

For Manhattan, New York

Posted on: November 1st, 2017 by Alden

After another day of horror, this one in New York City. Here is my “Liturgy after Terror Attacks.” May we never need prayers such as these again.

For Manhattan, New York
Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre in Manhattan,
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
In a rampage of aggression beyond understanding,
Targeted by vehemence and hate.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
Send healing to those wounded in this assault,
Those struck by the hand of brutality.
Remember, too, the survivors of this attack,
Witnesses of shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
And courage to heal.

G-d of love and shelter,
Remember the families and friends
Of all the dead and the wounded
In New York, the U.S. and throughout the world.
Remember them with comfort and consolation.
Grant them Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing.

Heavenly Guide,
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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: BBC News

For Clergy

Posted on: September 24th, 2017 by Alden

This is a prayer for our clergy, first posted on ReformJudaism.org as “A Rosh Hashanah Prayer for Our Clergy.” It can be used by people of any faith in praise of our religious and spiritual leaders.

For Clergy
God of sacred callings,
Bless the work of our clergy,
Who carry us through our lives,
Our joys and our sorrows,
In holy service,
Carrying our broken hearts,
Our festive moments,
And our deepest yearnings.

May their dedication serve as shining lamp of love.
May the works of their hands bring merit in heaven.
Bless them with health and long life.
Guard them from taking our traumas into themselves.
Protect them from loneliness and isolation,
Shielding them from the spiritual and emotional pain
That can come with a life of service.
May they have find peace and comfort in their own moments of need.

Blessed are You,
God of All,
Who, with love, provides the world
Dedicated leaders of faith.

© 2017 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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: Catholic Online

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