Archive for the ‘Hopes’ Category

 

For Jewish Unity

Posted on: December 11th, 2016 by Alden

This prayer, by design, is naïve, which is the source of its simplicity and optimism. Contrast it with a prayer with a similar theme, “Jew against Jew,” which begins from a more realistic assessment of the animosities that exist – especially here in Israel – among the various branches of Jewish practice and halachic observance. Here’s a prayer clebrating Jewish diversity, “Be’chol Lashon: In every Tounge.”

For Jewish Unity
May it be Your will,
Adonai our G-d,
G-d of our mothers and fathers,
To restore the Jewish people to each other
In wholeness and love.
May our differences in understanding and practice
Never be a source of sinat chinam, chas v’shalom,
Nor physical violence, chas v’shalom.
May our love for Torah and each other shine forth
From Jerusalem to the four corners of the earth,
Speedily, in our days.

© 2016 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also “Cornerstone” and “Messengers among Us,” two prayers that celebrate the expanding roles of women in Jewish life.

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: Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

Dance in the Sky

Posted on: April 12th, 2016 by Alden

Bird DanceThis meditation began as a flight of fancy, exploring the image of dancing with our prayers and blessings in the vast open space of sky. As it unfolded, it evolved to take on echoes of Ma’ariv Aravim, the opening prayer of the Ma’ariv service following Barchu. It could serve as an additional or alternative reading between Barchu and the Shema.

Dance in the Sky
Let me dance in the sky,
With prayers and blessings
For the ones I love,
Raising these hopes
To the gates of heaven.

Let me sing among the stars,
With mystery and magic
For the holiness around us,
Raising these dreams
To the gates of redemption.

For there is music in the dawn,
And blessings at dusk,
A radiance of glory,
Carrying our voices beyond the firmament
To the One who created all being.

Source and Shelter,
You set the course of sun and moon,
Bringing on the evening twilight,
Calling forth time and space,
With majesty and wonder.

Blessed are You,
Soul of the Universe,
Summoning the heavens,
Declaring the reign of holiness.

© 2016 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also “Come Walk,” “Prayer with Wings” and “Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing.”

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: Arch20

Sowing Light

Posted on: February 17th, 2016 by Alden

light jewels on waterPsalm 97, recited at Kabbalat Shabbat, ends with this: “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in Adonai, you who are righteous; acclaim the holiness of G-d’s name.” (Psalm 97:11-12) What if, in the tradition of the rabbis, we changed one word to explore the meaning? Instead of “…for the righteous…” use “…by the righteous…” This prayer reimagines the closing couplet after changing that one word. This piece appears in my book This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Sowing Light
Light is sown by the righteous,
Tucked into cracks in the sidewalks,
Dropped in the grass,
Breathed into the air,
Left waiting for others to find.

You who are upright in heart,
Let your deeds declare your love,
Let your hands be a source of healing,
Let your joy be a fountain of blessing.

Rejoice in righteousness,
And spread holiness throughout your days.
Light is sown for you
To magnify in service to G-d’s holy name.

© 2017 CCAR Press from This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day

Postscript: Midrash Psalms 97:2 interprets the line to mean that a great spiritual light, created at the beginning of all things, was set aside by G-d for the righteous as their reward at the end of days. As a result, Siddur Sim Shalom breaks with the classic translation – the translation found in both Mishkan T’fillah and the Koren Sacks Siddur – by rendering the line as “Light is stored for the righteous…”

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: Selma in the City

Chop, Carry, Bake

Posted on: January 20th, 2016 by Alden

bread2Here’s a simple new prayer about bringing our gifts into the world. It’s prayer for tikun olam, healing the world.

Chop, Carry, Bake
We stand before
The hand of G-d,
The hand of earth and fire,
Of substance and mystery,
The hand of flour and water,
Of gifts and blessings
The hand of life and death.

Open your hand to the needy,
While you can,
Before your strength fades,
For you are called
To extend your heart in righteousness,
To extend your human hand in kindness,
To share your bounty and your labor,
In service to creation.

We stand before
The hand of G-d,
In awe and wonder,
To chop wood,
To carry water,
To bake bread,
To bring it into the world
In love.

© 2016 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: See also my social justice prayers, including: “Lesser Children,” “To the Streets,” “Against Worker Exploitation,” “Against Hunger” and “Against Human Trafficking.” Here’s a link to more prayers for social justice.

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: Lagniappe = A little bit extra

Let this Day

Posted on: January 3rd, 2016 by Alden

Jewish ZodiacAs we move from celebrating the arrival of a new secular year to living day-to-day, here’s a prayer about making the most of our time here on earth. May 2016 bring us all blessings and peace.

Let this Day
G-d,
Help me to use this day wisely,
And with care,
Planting laughter in the hours,
And dedication in the moments,
In service to You,
In service to myself,
In service to humanity.

Let my inner wisdom shine
And my talents burst forth,
Bringing the gifts You gave me
To the works of my hands
And the works of my heart.
Let this day be for blessing.
Let this day be for healing.
Let this day be for joy.

G-d,
My time is like water in the desert,
Precious and scarce,
Giving life, giving hope.
Let this day be for creativity and discovery.
Let this day be for curiosity and imagination.
Let this day be for excitement and adventure.
So that the heavens smile on me
And Your creation calls me ‘friend.’

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here are more prayers about time and using time wisely: “Leaving,” “Arriving,” “Now,” “Another Year: An Introspection” and “In This Turning.”

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “My time is like water in the desert, precious and scarce…” http://bit.ly/1P9hJeS Prayer for using time wisely by @ToBendLight

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: Klau Library Hebrew Union College, as appearing in the Jerusalem Post

Prayer for Congregational Wisdom during Conflict

Posted on: December 20th, 2015 by Alden

synagogueThis prayer is to be said at the start of a meeting when an issue threatens to divide a congregation. The prayer is a reminder of our common goal: creating and sustaining a place of holiness and Torah. Optional language appears in [brackets]. Word choices are separated with slashes (“/”). The blank line is to customize the prayer to a particular situation.

Prayer for Congregational Wisdom during Conflict
G-d of Old,
We come together
As a [congregation / kehilla / synagogue / shul / temple],
A community of men and women,
Young and old,
In reverence for each other,
To speak about ____________________ (brief label/description of the concern/issue),
A challenge facing us as a congregation,
[A challenge that threatens to divide us],
And we look for insight and guidance.

Grant us wisdom as we do this holy work.
We have one desire:
To build a place of holiness,
A place of Torah,
A place of chesed and rachamim.
Grant us the ability to speak with care,
And to listen with understanding.
Open our hearts
So that our words will build deeper connections
And stronger bonds,
In this holy congregation of prayer.

,מי שברך אבותינו אברהם יצחק ויעקוב
,ואמותינו שרה רבקה רחל ולאה
,הוא יברך את הקהל הקדוש הזה
,לחיים ולשלום
,לששון ולשמחה
,לישועה ולנחמה
.ונאמר אמן

May the one who blessed our fathers
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
And our mothers,
Sarah, Rebekkah, Rachel and Leah,
Bless this holy congregation
With life and peace,
Joy and gladness,
Deliverance and consolation,
And let us say: Amen.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: The final paragraph – in both Hebrew and English – combines: i) the opening lines of the prayer for the welfare of a congregation, traditionally said near the end of the Shabbat Torah service; ii) with the addition of the Matriarchs; and, iii) blessings found at the end of the prayer for announcing a new month said on Shabbat Mevorchim. Here’s a related prayer: “Congregational Prayer at the High Holidays.”

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Grant us wisdom as we do holy work…” “Prayer for Congregational Wisdom during Conflict” from @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=13685

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: Frontpage Mag

Faith to Pray

Posted on: December 15th, 2015 by Alden

Prayer Faith God StonesWhat does it mean to pray, knowing that our prayers may not be answered? People fall ill. Friends die. Bad things happen to good people. This new prayer about prayer is part of my answer. Careful readers will note that, taken together, the three stanzas allude to the V’havta paragraph of the Shema: “And thou shalt love Adonai your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:5)

Faith to Pray
Grant me willingness,
G-d of old,
To pray with my whole heart,
Knowing that You will not
Grant my every hope,
Nor change the nature of the universe
To fulfill my deepest desires.

Grant me faith,
G-d of compassion,
To pray with my entire soul,
Understanding Your promise
To hear our songs and prayers,
Trusting that those prayers
Bring a measure of holiness into the world,
Whether or not I see it or feel it,
As surely as hatred and violence
Pushes holiness away.

Grant me courage,
G-d of mercy,
To pray with all of my might,
Turning those prayers into actions,
Using my strength in service to tikun olam,
To work with dedication on repairing the world,
So that my prayers become blessings,
And my days become a beacon of light and love.

© 2015 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Thanks to my friend Cantor Sheri Allen, Congregation Beth Shalom, Arlington, Texas, for the conversation that led to this prayer. It is one of several prayers about prayer, including: “For Prayer,” “Prayer Released,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer,” “To Pray” and “All Returns to Prayer.” I’ve also written a prayer “Before Writing a Prayer” and one for “After Writing a Prayer.”

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Grant me faith, G-d of compassion, to pray with my entire soul…” From “Faith to Pray” from @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=13912

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: Church of the Living G-d

Cornerstone

Posted on: November 8th, 2015 by Alden

ein-afek-cornerstoneThis prayer honors the pioneers and advocates for women in Jewish religious life and communal leadership. The idea came to me one Rosh Chodesh morning at the Kotel while singing Hallel in support of women’s rights at the Kotel. As we sang these words from Psalm 118 – “The stone the builders rejected is become the chief corner-stone” – I thought: “Sisters, you are the stone that the builders rejected. And you’ve become the cornerstone of our future.” This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Cornerstone
Build a house of glory to G-d,
Build a house of praise to our Maker:
A house of prayer,
A house of song,
A house of Torah,
A house of truth.

Sisters of Israel,
How wondrous that your voices resound in our tents,
That your insights echo in our streets,
That your prayers have become our song.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
The heart the builders rejected has become the fountainhead.
The service the builders rejected has become the foundation.
The wisdom the builders rejected has become the teaching.

G-d of our ancestors,
Bless the women who lead our people,
Rabbis and cantors, educators and activists,
Philanthropists and organizers, scholars and researchers,
Expanding our understanding and love of Torah.
Bless the work of their hands and the work of their hearts.
Rejoice and be glad.
Let the struggle continue
Until no one questions your birthright,
Until no one denies your place,
When the Kotel is redeemed
And the agunah is freed,
For your light will free us all.

All Your works praise You,
Adonai our G-d,
And the righteous bless Your Name.

© 2021 CCAR Press from This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer

Postscript: In Psalm 118, ‘the builders’ refer to two non-Jewish B.C.E. sources declaring that Israel has been destroyed. Here ‘the builders’ takes on a different meaning, referring to any Jewish authority or individual that oppresses women. Here’s a link to a related prayer called “Messengers among Us,” which asks if we’d recognize G-d’s messengers if they “…were women in talitot and t’fillin, winging freely, full voiced, Shema Yisroel…” See also “Jew against Jew,” a prayer to end sinat chinam written after experiencing hatred expressed toward women at the Kotel.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Sisters of Israel, how wondrous that your Torah resounds…” Prayer for women rabbis and leaders by @ToBendLight. http://bit.ly/1PvQqig

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: Gems in Israel

Being a Blessing

Posted on: November 1st, 2015 by Alden

Blessed-to-be-a-blessingWhat does it mean to be a blessing in the lives of the people around you? It means nothing less than listening – listening with your ears, your eyes, your heart and your soul – and responding to others with love and compassion. This is a meditation on becoming a blessing in the lives of others. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.

Being a Blessing
If you ask for rest, I will sit with you.
If you ask for comfort, I will stay with you.

If you ask for hope, I will yearn with you.
If you ask for love, I will sing with you.

If you ask for stillness, I will breathe with you.
If you ask for peace, I will dream with you.

If you ask for joy, I will laugh with you.
If you ask for healing, I will pray with you.

If you ask for warmth, I will become a blanket.
If you ask for refuge, I will become a shelter.

If you ask for help, I will become a blessing.

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

Postscript: Other prayers about blessing and being blessed include: “Be the Blessing,” “These Blessings,” “Receiving Blessings” and “A Moment of Blessing.”

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: Free Methodist Church in Canada

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing

Posted on: October 11th, 2015 by Alden

Birds Flying at SunsetYour prayer lifts mine. My prayer lifts yours. But what happens when there’s no “lift” left in my own prayer? Does my prayer weigh your prayer down? Does my prayer become a burden? Not if you lend me your prayer with mercy and love. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing
Let my soul rise
On the wings of your prayer.
My heart, heavy.
My voice, tired.
My strength, fleeting.
My breath, shallow.
My sight, obscured.

Your voice dazzles,
Filling the space with radiance and majesty.
A sacred melody.
A call of the ages.
An echo of eternity.
A pulse of holiness.
A harmony of light.

Let my yearning ascend
On the rhythm of your song.
Let my hope soar
On the music of your words.
Lend me your courage and your thunder.
And when we reach the gates of heaven,
I will be witness to your mercy and love.

© 2021 CCAR Press from This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer

Postscript: Prayers about prayer is a recurring theme in my work, including: “Invitations,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer,” “Prayer for You, Prayer for Me” and “Prayer with Wings.”

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: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

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