Posts from the ‘Family’ category

Life cycle events, love and family healing.

Vayigash: Dear Brother, Dear Sister

“Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried: ‘Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there…

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Shabbat Blessing for Children Who Have Left Home

One of my great joys of parenthood is putting my hands on my daughters’ heads and blessing them. As they went off to college and to…

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Family Healing

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…

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Blessing For a Spouse / Partner

I know a young couple who bless each other at the Shabbat table: they hold hands, look into each other’s eyes, then give and receive a blessing. This…

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For Family

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…

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A Prayer for Dad

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.…

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Meditation for a Child’s First Torah Reading

This prayer was inspired by a video of a friend’s daughter reading Torah, although it wasn’t her first time chanting. Add the Shehecheyanu to the end…

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A Prayer for Mom

Here’s a prayer to honor Mom. “For the Matriarch” is from a series of prayers celebrating family, including “For the Patriarch,” “For Our Brothers,” “For Our Sisters”and “For…

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My Child Leaves Home (A Parent’s Prayer, Revised)

Tomorrow my daughter Dana moves to Los Angeles. She’s lived with me for three months between college and career. This prayer was first written and posted last year. In the past…

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Our Patriarch: Jerold S. Solovy z”l

Here’s a prayer reposted in memory of my uncle Jerry Solovy z”l. The Chicago ADL has renamed the Jerold S. Solovy Freedom Award in his memory. The Chicago Sun-Times…

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