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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue)

Posted on: October 26th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer celebrates diversity in Jewish life. It honors the work of Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue) by envisioning a time when we look beyond our differences – gender, skin color, age, sexuality, conversion, observance – to see one House of Israel in service to G-d, our people, and tikkun olam. I wrote it at the suggestion of Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Be’chol Lashon’s rabbi-in-residence. The organization used it at their family camp and posted it to their website. It appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue)
We sing praises
Be’chol lashon,
In every tongue, in every voice,
In joy and sadness,
With music and with love.

We seek truth
Be’chol lashon,
In every tongue, with every breath,
In study and prayer,
With faith and with purpose.

We pursue justice
Be’chol lashon,
In every tongue, in every land,
In word and deed,
With strength and with courage.

We study Torah
Be’chol lashon,
In every tongue, in every generation,
In wonder and awe,
With zest and with zeal.

We are one people,
Present on Sinai,
Where G-d spoke Be’chol lashon,
In every tongue,
To every soul,
To every heart,
The whole House of Israel.

Postscript: Thanks again to Rabbi Ruth for suggesting this prayer and for her earlier invitation for me to write “A Liturgy for 9-11.”

Please check out my CCAR Press Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. The individual books are: This Grateful Heart, This Joyous Soul, and This Precious Life. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines, 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. For a taste of my teaching, see my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer.”

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

Photo Source: Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue)

Beauty Dances

Posted on: October 9th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a Sukkot prayer about the beauty that arrives with this festival of joy, and the call to bring that beauty into the world. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Beauty Dances
Beauty dances
With us
Whenever we build
A tabernacle
To God’s holy Name.

Love sings
With us
Whenever we rejoice
In gladness
On God’s festive days.

Peace cries
With us
Whenever we yearn
In prayer
For God’s holy shelter.

Come,
Let us build this place,
This tabernacle where we praise,
With all of our hearts,
God’s pardon and promise.
Let us build this place,
Where we delight,
With thanksgiving and wonder,
In God’s bounty and gifts.

Come,
Let us build this place,
This sukkat shalom,
This shelter of peace,
Where beauty dances
And love sings.
Where peace cries out:
Build, build,
You Children of Israel,
A tent of holiness,
Strong and true.
Build it in your heart,
In your home,
In your life,
In God’s world.

Postscript: This appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim.

Photo Source: The Toronto Centre

Simchat Torah Prayers

Posted on: October 9th, 2011 by tobendlight

Stories and prayers for Simchat Torah, when Jews all over the world rejoice in the gift of the Torah. Here are three short, short stories and several prayers about Torah and Torah scholarship:

Stories

Motyl the Fool – The fool who knows Torah by heart.
Hershal Dovid – A Torah reading story.
Mendel Baruch – Reciting the perfect S’hema.

On Torah

For The Gift of Torah Scholarship – Studying Torah is a sacred duty. Loving Torah is a way of life.
To Know Your Word – A yearning to know G-d’s will and word.
For the Joy of Learning – A prayer of thanks for learning and teaching.
Sages – For the scholar in each of us.
Meditation for a Child’s First Torah Reading – A prayer said by parents.

Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here are focused lists of prayers for Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Meditation Before Neilah

Posted on: October 7th, 2011 by tobendlight

This meditation for the last service of Yom Kippur is the second prayer inspired by a song composed by my cousin Irwin Keller for Neilah called “At the Closing of the Gates.” To hear this prayer, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Meditation Before Neilah
Wait.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I must show You.
It’s dark
And secret.
Part sadness.
Part anger.
Part fear.

Listen.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I must tell You.
It’s hard
And heavy.
Part pride.
Part guilt.
Part shame.

Stay.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I need from You.
It’s ancient
And new.
Part Torah.
Part Mitzvot.
Part joy and love and light.

G-d of Justice,
G-d of Mercy,
Hear my plea.
Wait for me to return to You.
Listen as I confess to You.
Stay as I struggle to live my life as a blessing,
According to Your wisdom,
According to Your law,
According to Your word.

Postscript: To listen to Irwin’s song, as well as the first prayer it inspired, click here: “At the Gates.” Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, another one of prayers for Rosh Hashana, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Wait. There’s something else, G-d of Old, I must show You…” Powerful Neilah prayer by @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=4268

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 Source: Ragamuffin Studies

At the Gates

Posted on: October 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is about standing at the gates of heaven in prayer. It alludes to the Un’taneh Tokef which asserts that t’shuva (repentance), t’fillah (prayer) and tzdakah (charity) are key to a full reconciliation with G-d, with oneself and with the world. It was inspired by a song written by my cousin Irwin Keller for Neilah called, “At the Closing of the Gates.” This prayer is the result of listening to his song, with a few changes recommended by Irwin. To listen to his song, click on the triangle in the first bar, below. “At the Closing of the Gates,” by Irwin Keller:

To listen to the words of the prayer while reading, click on the triangle in the second bar. The text follows. “At the Gates,” by Alden Solovy:

At the Gates
At the gates of repentance
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of t’shuva?

The gates of repentance
Surround my heart.
Unlock my fear,
G-d of Old,
So I may enter
The well of love
With wonder and awe.

At the gates of charity
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of tzdakah?

The gates of charity
Surround my deeds.
Unlock my fortitude,
Source and Shelter,
So I may enter
The well of healing
With righteousness and strength.

At the gates of devotion
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of t’fillah?

The gates of devotion
Surround my spirit.
Unlock my faith,
Rock of Israel,
So I may enter
The well of mystery
With prayer and rejoicing.

Postscript: Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, another one of prayers for Rosh Hashana, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Sukkot Prayers

Posted on: October 1st, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of prayers for Sukkot with brief descriptions, divided by topic: “Joy,” “Harvest Season” and “Sukkah: Physical home, Spiritual home.” To read a prayer, click on the title. If you read only one of them, go for “Beauty Dances,” but this is a lovely list. Try a few. Here are prayers for Simchat Torah.

Joy
Sukkot is z’man simchateinu, the time of our rejoicing:

Rejoice! – A prayer/poem about embodying joy
For Joy – About finding joy in the face of loss
Let Joy – Awake to the joy around you

Harvest Season
Prayers of thanks for G-d’s gifts:

For Autumn – A prayer for the new season
Harvest Prayer – For the gifts of the land
This Bounty – A prayer of thanksgiving
Life as a Banquet – Rejoice in the banquet of life
Life as a Garden – Tending the beauty of hearts and souls

Sukkah: Physical Home, Spiritual Home
Prayers about the meaning of home:

The Season of Building – Tents of holiness, shelters of peace
Dwelling Place – A sense of home and peace
Beauty Dances – Beauty dances and love sings for Sukkat Shalom
The Way Home – The journey home
Israel: A Meditation – Israel, our people, our nation, our home

Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, another one of prayers for Rosh Hashana and one of prayers for Yom Kippur. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Click here to tweet this: Beautiful! Prayers and meditations for Sukkot from @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=4167

Photo Source: Alden Solovy; this was my 5774 (2013) Sukkah.

Harvest Prayer

Posted on: September 22nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer of thanks for the harvest season. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Harvest Prayer
The yield arrives
Full and ripe,
Plump and ready,
Bursting in flavor,
Brimming with gifts
Of earth and sky.
Tree and grass,
Vine and root,
Blessings of the rich soil,
The gentle rain,
The constant sun.
Blessings from the flow of seasons,
And the work of our hands.
Blessings of abundance and grace,
The work of Your creation.

Blessed are You,
Adonai our G-d,
Source of Life,
Your bounty sustains us.

Postscript: Other prayers for the season include: “For Autumn,” “This Bounty” and “Life as a Banquet.”

Yom Kippur Prayers

Posted on: September 20th, 2011 by tobendlight

גמר חתימה טובה

This list of prayers and stories for Yom Kippur id divided by topic: Vidui (confession), T’shuva (Repentance), Neilah (closing service), Living in Holiness, Sacred Time and Death/Mourning. Here are several additional lists of prayers for Elul, Rosh Hashana and Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Vidui (Confession)

Meditation Before the Yom Kippur Vidui – On preparing for a thorough and honest confession.
Meditation After the Yom Kippur Vidui – Living differently after a heartfelt confession.
The Greatest Sin – Allowing the conditions for sin to take root.

T’shuva (Repentance, Return)

Cry No More – This is the day G-d made to relieve your sorrow.
Who, Still Broken – A meditation on Un’taneh Tokef.
Repentance Inside – To leave my transgressions behind.
Regarding Old Wounds – Are you willing to take your most crushing losses and turn them into a well of strength and love?
Let Your Heart Stir – Let the shofar echo into your life.

Neilah (Closing Service)

At the Gates – At the gates of prayer, repentance and charity.
Meditation Before Neilah – What have I left to say to G-d?
The Entry to Our Hearts – A cry for hope and healing.

Living in Holiness

Is This the Fast? – An introspection based on Isaiah 58:6-7.
For Wonder and Awe – To put aside vain pursuits and seek G-d.
The Path of Righteousness – The path is paved with questions.
G-d’s Plan: An Introspection – Surrendering to G-d’s will.
Let Holiness – A prayer to embody holiness.

Sacred Time

The Season of Healing – Healing our souls and our lives.
The Season of Return – Preparing for t’shuva, returning to G-d.

Death and Mourning

For an annotated list of Memorial and Yizkor prayers, click here. Here are three prayers about preparing for death:

Near the End: A Meditation – On preparing for the journey of death with grace and dignity.
Remember – Whatever our fears, this is a call back to our deepest sense of peace and well-being.
Things Break – Each day we face the flow of endings and beginnings. G-d’s love remains.

Short Story

“Cantor Cohen” is a Yom Kippur story of a Chazzan preparing to lead his congregation in prayer, repentance and righteousness.

Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here are focused lists of prayers for Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Photo Source: Temple Judea

Rosh Hashanah Prayers

Posted on: September 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

שנה טובה

Here are prayers for Rosh Hashanah with brief descriptions, divided into two topics: living in holiness and for creation and the new year. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

For Creation and the New Year

Meditations for the New Year, which is also Yom Harat Olam, the birthday of the world:

For the New Year – In thanks for the New Year, the flow of time and the gift of life.
Another Year: An Introspection – A reflection on the passage of time and how to use it.
A New Year Begins – Love is the only answer.
Meditation on the Eve of a New Year – Counting blessings.
For Creation – A quick meditation on the beauty of creation.
Rhythms – A meditation about the contrasting rhythms of life, time moving in a straight line and holiness moving in circles.
About the Rainbow – A reflection on the glory of creation.

Living in Holiness

These prayers set a tone for the period of t’shuva from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur:

The Path of Righteousness – The path of righteousness is paved with questions.
G-d’s Plan: An Introspection – A prayer/poem about surrendering to G-d’s will.
For Compassion – About seeing myself in all men and women, and showing compassion for others in service to G-d.
On Making a Mistake – A prayer about elevating a mistake into an act of wisdom, charity and love.

Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, listed by topics. Here’s a list of prayers for Elul, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.