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Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Prayers for Elul

Posted on: September 7th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of prayers for the month of Elul divided into categories: breaking free, living in holiness, time and confession. Here are additional links to prayers for Rosh Hashana, another one of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Breaking Free

Three meditations that ask why we stay chained to our sorrows, then challenge us to see life as a sacred journey:

For Healing the Spirit – Why do we waste our days in grief and despair?
For Sharing Divine Gifts – To live compassion, use your gifts in service to others.
Forgiveness Inside – To find a deep sense of forgiveness.
Regarding Old Wounds – Take your most crushing losses and turn them into a deep well of strength and love.

Living in Holiness

These prayers examine the art of living a life of holiness, focusing on attributes (grace, humility) and practices (listening for G-d’s voice, doing G-d’s will):

Is This the Fast? – An introspection based on Isaiah 58:6-7.
For Grace – A meditation about living a life of grace by offering grace to others.
For Humility – For living a life of humility in service to G-d, ourselves and others.
To Do Your Will – To ask for the guidance to do G-d’s will in humility and love.
To Hear Your Voice – G-d’s voice is available to all who choose to listen.
The Path of Righteousness – The path is paved with questions.
For Compassion – About seeing ourselves in everyone.
On Making a Mistake – To elevate a mistake into an act of love.
To Ask – On asking for G-d’s guidance and support to live a life of righteousness.

Time

Prayers about the holiness of time in general and about the sanctity of this period in the Jewish calendar:

Rhythms – A meditation on the contrasting rhythms of life.
The Season of Healing – This is a season of healing our souls and our lives.
The Season of Return – This is a season of return to G-d, repentance and t’shuva.
History – A celebration of the gifts of history and memory.

Confession

Here are meditations on confession (vidui). Although they were written for use on Yom Kippur, they are appropriate as Elul meditations to prepare for vidui:

Meditation Before the Yom Kippur Vidui – To prepare the heart and the mind for a thorough and honest confession.
Meditation After the Yom Kippur Vidui – On living differently as a result of an honest and heartfelt confession.
The Greatest Sin – Carelessly allowing the conditions for sin to take root.

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

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Photo Source: ou.org

Yom Kippur Meditation II

Posted on: August 31st, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a meditation to be recited after the Yom Kippur confessional prayer. It can also be used during the Hebrew month of Elul as preparation for the High Holy Days, the Yamim Noraim. It is the companion piece to “Meditation Before the Yom Kippur Vidui.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Meditation After the Yom Kippur Vidui
For the sins I’ve committed against myself,
And for the sins I’ve committed against others,
I offer a new heart.

For the sins I’ve committed against my family,
And for the sins I’ve committed against my friends,
I offer new understanding.

For the sins I’ve committed against children,
And for the sins I’ve committed against adults,
I offer new restraint.

For the sins I’ve committed against men,
And for the sins I’ve committed against women,
I offer new vision.

For the sins I’ve committed against neighbors,
And for the sins I’ve committed against strangers,
I offer new insight.

For the sins I’ve committed against the powerful,
And for the sins I’ve committed against the weak,
I offer new wisdom.

For the sins I’ve committed against nations,
And for the sins I’ve committed against peoples,
I offer a new voice.

G-d of generations,
Source of forgiveness and grace,
For the sins that I remember,
And for the sins that I’ve forgotten,
I offer myself, in humble service,
To You, Your Word and Your Holy Name.

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: Va-yehi Or

Yom Kippur Meditation I

Posted on: August 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

Confession – vidui – is not a major theme of Jewish daily prayer, but it becomes central on Yom Kippur when a communal confession is traditionally recited five times. Here’s a new meditation to prepare for a thorough and honest self-assessment. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Meditation Before the Yom Kippur Vidui
G-d of Old,
Judge and Sovereign,
Healer and Guide:

Today I recount my deeds,
The sins I’ve committed,
The blessings I’ve bestowed.

Today I recall my year,
The challenges I’ve faced,
The decisions I’ve made.

Today I reach into my heart,
The moments of anger,
The moments of love.

By Your command
G-d of Mercy,
I lay bare the secrets within me,
Light and darkness,
My gentle hand and my clenched fist,
My strength and conceit,
Anger and fear.

By Your command
G-d of Wisdom,
I open myself to see truth,
Beauty and degradation,
The holy and the profane,
The victorious and the guilty.

By Your command
G-d of Salvation,
I reclaim all that I am
And all that I’ve done,
My pride and my shame,
Returning to You
So that I may redeem my days
With awe and righteousness.

Photo Source: The Eden Center

Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk

Posted on: July 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is about naming G-d according to the blessings we receive. It’s another in my series of “quick prayers,” including: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon” and “Quick Meditation at Night.” The irony is this: the more time I take thinking about the words of this particular prayer, the more gratitude I receive.

To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below (website only). The text follows.

Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk
G-d of Old,
Your name is Peace.
Your name is Justice.
Your name is Mercy.

G-d of Life,
Your name is Compassion.
Your name is Love.
Your name is Hope.

G-d of Blessing,
Your name is Truth.
Your name is Wisdom.
Your name is Righteousness.

G-d of our fathers,
G-d of our mothers,
Your name is in my heart
And before my eyes.

Blessed are You Adonai,
Your name shines throughout creation.

Postscript: Please check out “ “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon” and “Quick Meditation at Night.” Other prayers of praise include: “Dance Hallelujah,” “Sing Hallelujah” and “In Praise.”

Please use these prayers. See “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column. For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

For Summer

Posted on: July 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

A prayer for the new season that appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. Other seasonal prayers that appear in This Grateful Heart include: “For Winter,” “For Summer,” “For Autumn” and “For Rain.”

For Summer
Heat and light,
Day overtakes night,
Warm air settles over the earth,
The land vibrant with growth.
Your creatures build and thrive.
Mornings, alive with motion,
As warmth surrenders to heat.
Nights, bursting forth with wonder.
Bless this day, God of seasons,
Bless the summer with energy and vitality
So that all of Your creatures
Enter the coming seasons
With the fullness of Your bounty.

God of time and space,
May this season be a blessing and a teacher.
Make me like the land,
Fertile with sustenance and beauty.
Make me like the midnight sky,
Sparkling with ancient gifts.
Bless my days with service
And my evenings with rest.
Make me like the summer dawn,
Vibrant, awake, vital and ready.

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Postscript: Other seasonal prayers that also appear in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day include: “For Winter,” “For Summer,” “For Autumn” and “For Rain.”

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: Gary on Our Monthly Photo Album

Shabbat Prayers and Stories

Posted on: July 7th, 2011 by tobendlight

In Israel, Shabbat sparkles. Here’s an annotated list of my prayers, blessings and stories with Shabbat as the central theme. My (current) favorites are “Come, Beloved” and “Shabbat Settles on Jerusalem.”

Prayers:

“For the Arrival of Shabbat” – Celebrate the gifts of Shabbat
“About Shabbat” – Did G-d create the world to create Shabbat?
“Welcome, Sabbath Queen” – Let go of your worries
“Shabbat as a Meditation” – Enter the rhythm of Shabbat
“Come, Beloved” – Listen for the arrival of the beloved
“Shabbat Settles on Jerusalem” – Shabbat arrives like a dove

Blessings:

“Blessing a Spouse/Partner for Shabbat”
“Shabbat Blessing for Children Who Have Left Home”
“Blessing Myself for Shabbat”

Stories:

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Photo credit: The Little Minyan

Shavuot Prayers and Stories

Posted on: June 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Prayers and stories for Shavuot. To read them, click on the name of the prayer.

Learning and Loving Torah

“For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” – Giving thanks for Torah scholars
“Let Torah” – Torah is waiting for you to live it
“For the Joy of Learning” – Giving thanks for the joy of learning
“Meditation for a Child’s First Torah Reading” – On hearing a child read Torah for the first time

Holiness and Our Relationship with G-d

“G-d’s Voice” – G-d arrives in thunder
“G-d on Tiptoes” – G-d arrives in silence
“Let Holiness” – To embody holiness
“For a New Vision” – To see the world through G-d’s eyes
“To Hear Your Voice” – To hear G-d’s voice

Short stories about the love of Torah

“Motyl the Fool” – Dancing with the Torah
“Hershal Dovid” – The joy of reading Torah
“Obediah” – The sofer’s son writes a Torah

And a prayer about Counting the Omer: “The Season of Counting.”

During the seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot, the period from the exodus to revelation on Sinai, Jews count the days and the weeks. And so we remember the journey from the depths of slavery to the heights of G-d’s Holy Presence. According to mystical practice, each week has a theme (and each day a sub-theme) that leads us to revelation. Here are links to prayers and meditations for each week of Counting the Omer:

Week One: Chesed (Lovingkindness, Love, Benevolence)
Week Two: Gevurah (Discipline, Justice, Restraint, Awe)
Week Three: Tiferet (Beauty, Harmony, Compassion, Truth)
Week Four: Netzach (Eternity, Endurance, Fortitude, Ambition)
Week Five: Hod (Humility, Splendor)
Week Six: Yesod (Foundation, Bonding)
Week Seven: Malchut – Nobility, Sovereignty, Leadership)

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: Congregation Or Chadash

Omer, Week Seven: Malchut

Posted on: May 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of prayers for the themes of week seven of Counting the Omer: Malchut– Nobility, sovereignty, leadership. They’re listed in my suggested order, from day 43 at the top of the list to day 49 at the bottom. To read them, click on the name of the prayer.

“Invitations” – Lovingkindness as the source of humility
“Let Holiness” – To embody holiness
“For Sharing Divine Gifts” – To transform suffering into beauty
“Seeking G-d” – Where is G-d? Hidden in plain sight
“Messengers” – The messengers of G-d are all around
“Whispered Prayer” – Prayer resounds in the heavens
“This is the Place” – Beauty and holiness are everywhere

And a prayer about Counting the Omer: “The Season of Counting.”

During the seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot, the period from the exodus to revelation on Sinai, Jews count the days and the weeks. And so we remember the journey from the depths of slavery to the heights of G-d’s Holy Presence. According to mystical practice, each week has a theme (and each day a sub-theme) that leads us toward revelation. Here are links to prayers and meditations for each week of counting the Omer and Shavuot:

Week One: Chesed (Lovingkindness, Love, Benevolence)
Week Two: Gevurah (Discipline, Justice, Restraint, Awe)
Week Three: Tiferet (Beauty, Harmony, Compassion, Truth)
Week Four: Netzach (Eternity, Endurance, Fortitude, Ambition)
Week Five: Hod (Humility, Splendor)
Week Six: Yesod (Foundation, Bonding)
Week Seven: Malchut (Nobility, Sovereignty, Leadership)
Shavuot

Photo Credit: Kabbalah Names

Omer, Week Six: Yesod

Posted on: May 23rd, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of prayers for the themes of week six of Counting the Omer: Yesod– Foundation, bonding. They’re listed in my suggested order, from day 36 at the top of the list to day 42 at the bottom. To read them, please click on the name of the prayer.

“Shall I Cry?” – Dedication to finding deep and lasting love
“Ethics” – To embody our highest ideals
“Being Present” – To embody our highest ideals
“For Service” – For the endurance to live in service to others
“To Know Your Word” – Connecting with the divine
“Wild Broken Heart” – Bonding in healing love
“We Are Music” – Nobility in our connection with G-d

And a prayer about Counting the Omer: “The Season of Counting.”

During the seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot, the period from the exodus to revelation on Sinai, Jews count the days and the weeks. And so we remember the journey from the depths of slavery to the heights of G-d’s Holy Presence. According to mystical practice, each week has a theme (and each day a sub-theme) that leads us toward revelation. Here are links to prayers and meditations for each week of counting the Omer and Shavuot:

Week One: Chesed (Lovingkindness, Love, Benevolence)
Week Two: Gevurah (Discipline, Justice, Restraint, Awe)
Week Three: Tiferet (Beauty, Harmony, Compassion, Truth)
Week Four: Netzach (Eternity, Endurance, Fortitude, Ambition)
Week Five: Hod (Humility, Splendor)
Week Six: Yesod (Foundation, Bonding)
Week Seven: Malchut (Nobility, Sovereignty, Leadership)
Shavuot

Photo Credit: Kabbalah Names

Omer, Week Five: Hod

Posted on: May 16th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of prayers for the themes of week five of Counting the Omer: Hod – Humility, splendor. They’re listed in my suggested order, from day 29 at the top of the list to day 35 at the bottom. To read them, please click on the name of the prayer.

“In Plain Sight” – G-d’s gifts are hidden in plain sight
“Offerings” – To respond with humility to life’s challenges
“To Hear Your Voice” – A prayer to hear the Divine Voice
“Come Walk” – The magic and majesty of the spiritual journey
“About the Heavens” – Humility from witnessing G-d’s splendor
“Let Us Meet” – Finding places to meet G-d’s holiness
“About the Rainbow” – The nobility manifest in G-d’s splendor

And a prayer about Counting the Omer: “The Season of Counting.”

During the seven weeks from Passover to Shavuot, the period from the exodus to revelation on Sinai, Jews count the days and the weeks. And so we remember the journey from the depths of slavery to the heights of G-d’s Holy Presence. According to mystical practice, each week has a theme (and each day a sub-theme) that leads us toward revelation. Here are links to prayers and meditations for each week of counting the Omer and Shavuot:

Week One: Chesed (Lovingkindness, Love, Benevolence)
Week Two: Gevurah (Discipline, Justice, Restraint, Awe)
Week Three: Tiferet (Beauty, Harmony, Compassion, Truth)
Week Four: Netzach (Eternity, Endurance, Fortitude, Ambition)
Week Five: Hod (Humility, Splendor)
Week Six: Yesod (Foundation, Bonding)
Week Seven: Malchut (Nobility, Sovereignty, Leadership)
Shavuot

Photo Credit: Kabbalah Names

Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Prayers for Elul

Breaking Free

Living in Holiness

Time

Confession

Yom Kippur Meditation II

Yom Kippur Meditation I

Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk

For Summer

Shabbat Prayers and Stories

Shavuot Prayers and Stories

Omer, Week Seven: Malchut

Omer, Week Six: Yesod

Omer, Week Five: Hod

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