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Archive for the ‘Hopes’ Category

Quick Blessing for a Friend’s Departure

Posted on: July 18th, 2013 by tobendlight

What can I say when a friend departs? When his journey moves on? When her path and mine diverge? For me, these moments are rich with history and love, but they need few words. So here’s a quick blessing to give to a friend when your lives move apart. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Quick Blessing for a Friend’s Departure
Heart of my heart,
Dear [brother/sister/friend],
Bless you on your journey.
May you find what you seek
And what you need,
What seeks you
And what calls you home.
May the light of health and hope
Carry you toward beauty and wonder.
May the light of holiness
Carry you toward strength and service.
Let peace and joy surround your days.
And let awe and thanksgiving
Lead you on a path of virtue.

Postscript: Other prayers in this series include: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon,” “Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk” and “Quick Meditation at Night.” See also “Quick Prayer for Healing.”

If you use this prayer, please click “like” on this page and subscribe. Please take a moment to post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Thanks. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!”

Photo Source: Pic Pulp

Safety during a Hurricane

Posted on: October 29th, 2012 by tobendlight

This is a prayer for safety to be said as a hurricane approaches, as well as during the storm. Use the blank line to fill in the name of the storm. Here’s a prayer to be said after the storm passes called “Safety After Violent Weather.”

Safety During a Hurricane
G-d of heaven and earth,
Source of All,
Hurricane____________,
A tribute to the force of creation,
Your power and might.

What chaos will blow with the wind?
What destruction will strike?
Who will suffer? Who will stay secure?

G-d of mystery and awe,
Grant us safety as the storm
Engulfs our homes and our lives.
Protect us. Shield us. Guard us .
Grant peace of mind to those in fear.
Grant food and clothing,
Warmth and shelter to those in need.
Bless emergency and rescue workers with the tools and skills they need
As they risk their lives for the sake of our families, communities and friends.
Grant healing to those who are sick or injured.
Bless us with common sense throughout the squall — the wind, the rain and the tides —
And with kinship and cooperation when the hurricane passes.

G-d of awe and wonder,
Our Rock and our Refuge,
See us through the gale
And watch us through the night,
For comfort, security and well-being,
So that we may serve You in love.

Postscript: This prayer was first posted as “Before the Storm” on February 1, 2011, and was modified and reposted for Hurricane Isaac on August 28, 2012. My other weather safety prayers include: “In Devastation,” “For First Responders,” “After the Tornadoes” “Safety After Violent Weather” and “After the Storm.” I used the prayer “For First Responders (to the Earthquake in Haiti)” as the inspiration for a prayer called “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

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: WikiMedia Commons

Shall I Cry?

Posted on: January 4th, 2012 by tobendlight

This is a prayer about the vastness of joy, love, friendship and care. I’ve selected this for day 36 of Counting the Omer, the Lovingkindness in Bonding, the Chesed of Yesod, because it’s about the dedication to finding deep and lasting love. It appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, as well as Mishkan Aveilut from CCAR Press.

Shall I Cry?
Shall I cry at the last withered leaf of fall?
Or the lonely swallow?
Or my grieving heart?

Shall I mourn the past?
Protest the future?
Bury myself in these losses?
The leaving. The death.

Oh you sea of clouds.
Oh you curtain of rain.
Oh you silent yearning.
You arrive as messenger and guide,
Sent from the Source of healing,
The Source of radiance and wonder.

This soul cannot learn to love
In heaven, where only
The vast blue glory
Of light
Resides.

Postscript: See also: “Unlock Your Heart,” “This Stubborn Heart,” “Every Heart,” “My Heart Knows What it Needs,” “A Heart of Vision” and “A Heart that Hears.”

Photo Credit: Just Walk Away

This is the Place

Posted on: December 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

Beauty and holiness are everywhere. Here. Now. This is the place where the darkness meets the light. This prayer asserts that holiness is already here, waiting. And so, this is the prayer I select to represent Malchut sh’b’Malchut, the Nobility in Nobility, the last night of Counting the Omer. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press. Here are prayers and stories for Shavuot.

This is the Place
This is the place where the beginning and the ending meet,
Where the vast sky greets the firmament of heaven,
Where the finite and the infinite touch,
Where the breathing in becomes the breathing out.

This is the place where darkness meets the light,
Where mourning surrenders to rejoicing,
Where what we are summons what we may become,
Where all hearts beat together in joy.

Oh to see so clearly.
Oh to live so gently.
Oh to be so simply.
Oh to love so sweetly.

This is the place where holiness can be held,
Where mystery shimmers and eternity shines,
Where the core of the earth burns with the fire of starlight,
Where majesty rises like the sun
In radiant brilliant luminous wonder.

Postscript: Click here for more prayers of praise. Here are prayers and stories for Shavuot.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

To Ask

Posted on: September 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a short meditation on asking G-d for guidance and support to live a life of righteousness. It’s a nice opening prayer for a moment – or an hour – of reflection on the journey of t’shuva, the journey of repentance, return to G-d and the commitment to a life of righteousness. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

To Ask
Holy One,
G-d of my heart,
What is it that You ask of me,
In my joy and wonder?
What is it that You ask of me,
In my grief and pain?
What is it that You ask of me,
In my vitality and strength?
What is it that You ask of me,
In my weakness and decline?

Ancient One,
Grant me the will and the desire,
The spirit and the purpose,
To serve You with love.
To ask for Your guidance.
To seek Your help.
To do Your will.
To learn Your Torah.
To act with righteousness.
To live with humility.
To rejoice in all Your gifts.

Postscript: Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, including prayers for the New Year, meditations on death and mourning and a link to yizkor and memorial prayers. Also, check out this list of prayers for the month of Elul.

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: writeideasonleadership.com

For Work

Posted on: August 22nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a prayer for those seeking employment. Choices for the reader are shown in [brackets]. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Work
G-d of the laborer and the professional,
Of the craftsman and the entrepreneur,
Of the clerk and the executive,
Bless us with skill and wisdom
So that we may find employment
And financial security.
Give us energy and fortitude,
Courage and hope,
As the economy [struggles to revive][slows][remains uncertain].
Help us to discover hidden talents
And new strengths that are valued by employers.

As I begin another [day][week][month][year]
Of unemployment,
Help me to remember all of Your gifts,
So that I can envision a prosperous future.
May I find work that provides meaning and sustenance.
May opportunities become plentiful for all.

Blessed are You,
G-d of bounty and grace.

Postscript: Here’s a prayer to be said “Upon Losing Employment” and one to be said “Upon Gaining Employment.” This is a prayer “Against Worker Exploitation.” Here’s a link to an annotated list of prayers for social justice.

Photo Source: Deccan Chronicle

For Service

Posted on: June 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

A prayer about living a life of service. It appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. I have also selected it for use during week six of Counting the Omer. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Service
G-d of our fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
G-d of our mothers,
Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel,
Open my heart to serve others
With joy and thanksgiving.
Remove ego, judgment and self-will
So that I am present with kindness and understanding.
Make me a tool of Your hand,
An echo of Your voice,
And a shining lamp of Your love.
Grant me the wisdom to offer myself willingly, without fear.
Fill me with compassion and grace,
Vitality and endurance,
So that my service becomes a blessing
In heaven and on earth.

Blessed are You, G-d of Old,
You set Your people on a noble path,
To serve with love.

Postscript: Other prayers that touch on the theme of service include: “Giving Thanks,” “To Hear Your Voice” and “To Know Your Word.”

Photo Source: A Project for Kindness

G-d’s Plan: An Introspection

Posted on: May 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

A prayer/poem about surrender, about the dance of grief and joy, the paradox of of love and loss, the duet of doubt and faith, the unbreakable bond between life and death. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer appears in my book This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day.

G-d’s Plan: An Introspection
If G-d’s plan
Followed my plan,
I would have no scars on my skin
Or in my heart.

If G-d’s plan
Followed my plan,
I would not have felt the fire or the ice,
Heard the beauty or the terror,
Seen the new bud or the dying leaf.

If G-d’s plan
Followed my plan,
I would not have learned to grieve or to cherish,
To hope or surrender,
To be broken and still be whole.

What, then, keeps me locked in fear,
In dread of yielding to Your great works,
Your awesome love,
Your radiant power?
What small desire,
Petty hope –
What yearning of self –
Blocks my service in G-d’s holy name?

G-d on high,
Release me from my judgments and designs.
Open my heart to You fully,
Without reservation.
Cast out my doubts and shames,
To receive Your divine wisdom and strength.

G-d of All Being,
Wise and true,
Make my limbs Your tools and
My voice Your messenger.
Make my heart Your tabernacle,
A dwelling place of holiness
And splendor.

Postscript: Related prayers include: “This Wound,” “Seeking G-d” and “Near the End: A Meditation.”

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

This Bounty

Posted on: April 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer celebrates G-d’s bounty and grace, making it a lovely prayer for both Sukkot and Thanksgiving. It will appear in This Grateful Heart, my forthcoming from CCAR Press.

This Bounty
G-d of abundance,
You have blessed me
With Your bounty
Your love,
Your grace,
The treasures of Your creation.

In gratitude for these gifts,
Holy One,
Bless me with wisdom
To use them with skill,
In service to Your holy name.

Bless me with humility
To use them with joy
In service to Your creation.

Bless me with a generous heart
And a forgiving hand
In service to Your commandments.

Bless me with a strong arm
And a curious mind
In the name of tikkun olam.

Bless me with gentle speech
And joyous laughter,
So that all my works
Summon holiness into Your world.

Then, Rock of Israel,
I will honor Your glorious gifts
With all my being.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,
Your bounty calls us to service.

Postscript: Here are a few prayers with a similar theme: “Life as A Banquet,” “These Blessings” and “Giving Thanks.” And If you would, please put in a quick prayer for Dana, Marty and me. Thanks.

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

Let Love

Posted on: April 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

What if we could embody love? Love would light up our days, our lives and the lives of those around us. Together, we could light up the world. This is from a series of prayers that invokes a prophetic voice, the voice of spiritual challenge, calling on us to embody all that is good. The series includes “Let Truth,” “Let Joy,” “Let Holiness” and “Let Torah.” To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Let Love
Let love wash over your face,
Caress your eyes,
Brush your lips.

Let love pulse through your heart,
Warm your lungs,
Fill your chest.

Let love strengthen your bones,
Ignite your nerves,
Awaken your flesh.

For love is in the air and in the wind,
The current and the waters,
The flow of gifts from G-d’s creation,
Divine bounty and grace,
Calling out to you dear sisters and brothers:
‘Awake you slumberers!
Awake you who walk warily into the day and dejected into the night.
Have you forgotten My gifts and treasures?
Have you forsaken the beauty around you?
Have you surrendered your joy and passion?’

This, then, is G-d’s command:
Let love wash over you,
Pulse through you,
Pour strength into you.
Let love carry you into luminous days
And radiant nights.
Sing and dance,
Laugh and play,
Lifting your life with passion and hope.
Let love be your messenger and your message.

Blessed are You, G-d of love.

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Photo Credit: Epic Love

Archive for the ‘Hopes’ Category

Quick Blessing for a Friend’s Departure

Safety during a Hurricane

Shall I Cry?

This is the Place

To Ask

For Work

For Service

G-d’s Plan: An Introspection

This Bounty

Let Love

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