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Archive for the ‘Death’ Category

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer

Posted on: August 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. It’s adapted from a prayer that is part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” The original prayer, “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer,” was written to be said in memory of an individual. This provides a general memorial prayer for use in communal worship. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who died in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of their hands
And the message of their hearts.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: I’ve adapted another prayer for communal worship, resulting in a “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.” Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11,” which does not have audio. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer.”

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders

Posted on: August 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for first responders to the 9-11 attacks. It’s modified from “Yizkor for First Responders,” a prayer that I posted as part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” This differs from the original prayer in three ways: i) the original was written to be said for an individual first responder, while this is for all first responders; ii) the original is adaptable to any event claiming the life of a first responder, while this is specific to 9-11; and iii) the original was written for private prayer, while this is written for communal worship. This appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To those who died in service to others because of
The 9/11 attacks on the United States.
May their dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of love
And the works of their hands bring us all merit in heaven.
Bless the souls of all who have died to save others,
Civilians and professionals,
The trained and the untrained,
In every age and in every land,
Men and women who answered the call of honor, duty and service.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11‘” Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer.”

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

Father’s Meditation

Posted on: July 20th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s another prayer written with my own children in mind.

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 loving ways.
Grant them vitality and fortitude
As they build lives of their own.
Fill their days with friendship and hope,
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: Another prayer that I wrote for my daughters is called “For Bereaved Children.” And here’s a parent’s prayer for when “My Child Leaves Home.”

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In Times of War

Posted on: May 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer to be said in times of war. Of course, it’s a prayer for peace. It’s also a prayer for life, safety, hope and sound judgment from our national leaders. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below.

In Times of War
Ancient One,
G-d of compassion and mercy,
Our country is at war.
Our soldiers take arms,
Once more,
In pursuit of justice,
To defend and to protect life and liberty.

Grant our leaders with insight and strength
To guide our nation on a path of wisdom,
Using our power and might with courage, with caution and with care.
Keep our soldiers safe.
Return them swiftly in life and in health.
Bless the injured and wounded with Your healing hand
And their families with Your loving grace.
Grant a swift end to this and all human violence
So that fear and struggle give way to joy and hope.
Send compassion and protection
To refugees, widows and orphans
From every land and every conflict.

Guardian of Life,
Source and Shelter.
Bring harmony and tranquility
To all nations and all peoples
So that we may renew and rebuild,
In the name of compassion,
In the name of peace.

Blessed are You, Source of Peace.

Postscript: Here’s a prayer “For Peace in the Middle East.” Also, see my post about a liturgy for 9-11 for a prayer called “To the Terrorist.”

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After the Horror

Posted on: May 1st, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer can be used as part of a liturgy for Yom HaShoah, specifically for reclaiming life in the shadow of death. Since the wording is general, it can also be used as a meditation after any event in which many die and others live. Another prayer in my Yom Hashoah liturgy is called “Tears of Crystal, Tears of Broken Glass,” calling on the imagery of Kristallnacht. Click here for the entire Yom HaShoah liturgy. To listen while you read, please click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

After the Horror
Hold fast to the breath of life.
Hold fast to the song of life.
Hold fast to the soul of life.

This is my sacred duty, G-d of old,
As survivor, as witness, as a voice of history and truth.
Why else did I live when so many died?
Why else do I stand when so many were put to rest?
Why else do I hope and yearn when so many were silenced?

Hold fast to awe and wonder.
Hold fast to radiance and light.
Hold fast to mystery and majesty.

This is my sacred duty, G-d of old,
As mourner, as testimony to horror and destruction.
What else remains? What else endures?
What more can You ask of me,
But to choose life in the shadow of death?

Postscript: After the attacks in Toulouse, France, I wrote “At the Hand of Anti-Semitism: A Yizkor Prayer.” Yom HaShoah also reminds me of my gratitude and love for Israel, reflected in this piece, “Israel: A Meditation,” which is also part of my Yom HaShoah liturgy.

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Photo Credit: Highland Park Conservative Temple

At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer

Posted on: April 21st, 2011 by tobendlight

My daughter Dana asked me to write a prayer for her friend Brendon z”l who was brutally murdered in the streets of Chicago. The last sentence is the classic ending of a Yizkor prayer.

At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer
Author of life
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
My [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one / friend]
Whose life was cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
We remember his / her wisdom, talents and skills,
Joy, laughter and tears.
Let these memories continue to bless us
Even as we pray for him / her to find peace
In the world to come.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See also these other memorial prayers: “In Memory of an Organ Donor,” “For Bereaved Children” and “For the Bereaved.” Click here for a full list of memorial and yizkor prayers.

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.

In Memory of an Organ Donor

Posted on: April 4th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a Yizkor prayer for those who have become organ donors in death. The last sentence is the classic ending of a Yizkor prayer. In this recording, I say the prayer in memory of my wife Ami z”l, who was an organ donor in her death. To listen along, click the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

In Memory of an Organ Donor
G-d of endings and beginnings,
G-d of past and future,
G-d of death and life,
Grant a perfect rest to ______________________ (name),
Whose death brought new life and new hope to others
Through the gift of his / her [vital] organs.
May those who received these gifts live lives of health and service,
Reflecting the love and devotion,
And the highest ideals,
Of our/my [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one].
Bless our family with peace
Knowing that the hour of his / her death
Became a moment of life for others.
May this act of generosity echo through the generations,
A source of hope and comfort.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See two related prayers “For Organ Donation” and “On Waiting for an Organ Transplant,” as well as two memorial prayers: “For Bereaved Children” and “For the Bereaved.” In 1991, the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America approved organ donations as permissible, even required, from brain-dead patients. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist scholars and rabbis support and encourage donation. In 1992, a revered ultra-Orthodox rabbi ruled that organ transplantation is permissible. Please see the Halachic Organ Donor Society for Jewish resources. Here’s a resource on how various religions view organ donation.

Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing. 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.

Photo Credit: Donate Life Organ and Tissue Donation Blog

Things Break

Posted on: March 26th, 2011 by tobendlight

Each day we face the flow of endings and beginnings. G-d’s love remains. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Things Break
Things break. Things die.
People break. People die.
The end approaches
Sometimes swiftly,
Sometimes slowly,
Sometimes secretly,
Sometimes in plain sight.

Things thrive. Things live.
People thrive. People live.
Vitality flows from the heavens.
Energy reaches up from the core of the earth.
Love shines from the center of my heart.

G-d of time and space,
All beginnings lead to endings.
All endings are beginnings.
Grant me the wisdom to see life as a sea
Of losses and gains,
A tide of joy and heartache,
Birth and death,
Illness and recovery,
The sacred and the profane.

G-d of All,
Glorious and Holy,
Things thrive, things break.
People live, people die.
Your love is Eternal.

Postscript: These prayers are also about beginnings and endings: “Leaving,” “Arriving,” “Now” and “Near The End: A Meditation.”

Near the End: A Meditation

Posted on: February 20th, 2011 by tobendlight

Since death is certain, and the date of death is uncertain, what do I do to prepare? Here’s a meditation on the journey home. Listen along by clicking on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Near the End: A Meditation
When my days fade,
When my eyes dim,
When darkness settles,
And the veil is lifted,
Remove my fear
My doubt,
My shame.
Remove my hesitation and longings,
So I may go gracefully into
The unknown,
The unknowable,
The secret tomorrow of my soul.

Ancient One,
Foundation and Shelter,
Companion and Guide,
Cradle of life,
Guardian of spirit,
I confess my weaknesses and mistakes,
My errors of judgment and
My lapses of conscience,
So that I may return to You in joyous surrender.

Source of my life
Holy and exalted
You have called me to service on this earth,
You will call me back to You
As You call all Your children
To return from this life,
This journey,
This place of sea and sky,
Of happiness and heartbreak.
Let me go in peace.
Let me go in peace.

Postscript: If you liked this, try “Remember” and “Come Walk,” another prayer/poem in the voice of the spiritual traveler.

After Shiva

Posted on: January 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

After shiva, now what? I remember that feeling when my father Jack z”l died and again when my wife Ami z”l died. Her shiva ended with the start of Passover. After the hubbub, that empty silence settled in. I wrote this prayer of loss and healing for my extended family as the shiva for my uncle Jerry z”l. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

After Shiva
The days have passed
And a quiet has settled on my home.
My grief still holds me.
My sorrow is present.
Yet You, G-d of seasons,
Ask me to look gently
Toward the future.
You, G-d of creation,
Ask me to imagine a time
When the pain begins to fade,
A time when my hopes are renewed.
You, G-d of generations,
Ask me to honor life,
To cherish memory,
To love those who remain.

Source and Shelter,
Loving Guide of the bereaved,
Lead me on the path toward
Wholeness and healing,
Peace and comfort,
So that I become a well
Of compassion and strength.

G-d of Old,
Your ways are secret,
Sacred and holy.
You are my Rock.
You are my Lamp.

Blessed are You,
G-d of All,
Who redeems the bereaved
With love.

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Postscript: Here are links to two mourner’s prayers: “For Bereaved Children,” which I wrote for my daughters when Ami z”l passed away, and “For the Bereaved.”

Photo Source: 757 Good Health Blog

Archive for the ‘Death’ Category

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders

Father’s Meditation

In Times of War

After the Horror

At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer

In Memory of an Organ Donor

Things Break

Near the End: A Meditation

After Shiva

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