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Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

Gilad Shalit, First Year Home

Posted on: October 17th, 2012 by tobendlight

This is a prayer of rejoicing and healing written for the 2011 homecoming of Gilad Shalit and is re-posted here for the first anniversary of his return. It includes two stanzas to honor all the defenders of Israel and uses a line from Birkot Hashachar as the chatimah, the seal ending the prayer. The URJ has also posted this prayer to its blog.

Gilad, Home at Last
With your feet on the soil of our ancestors,
The land sings.
With your return to the home of our people,
The nation exalts.
As you enter the house of your parents,
Your kin weep.
When you build a new life
And take your place with your generation,
Am Yisroel will delight.

We will never forget the defenders of Israel.
We will never forget the guardians of Zion.
We will never forget the sentries of Am Kadosh.

G-d who frees the slave and liberates the captive,
We rejoice at this homecoming.
Grant Gilad Shalit a complete restoration from his isolation,
So that he knows joy and celebration.
Ease his burdens.
Release him from suffering.
Return him in wholeness to life.

We stand with the defenders of Israel.
We honor the guardians of Zion.
We hold dear the sentries of Am Kadosh.

G-d of Old,
You have returned this son of Israel to our people.
Now, bless him with all of Your gifts:
Vitality, energy, happiness and peace.

.ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם מתיר אסורים
Blessed are you, Adonai our God,
Sovereign of universe,
who releases the captive.

Postscript: This prayer is an adaptation of the prayer I wrote when news was annouced that he would be headed home, called “Prayer for Gilad’s Homecoming.” In many ways, it seems to me, a prayer for Gilad is a prayer for us all. Here are two prayers for Israel: “Israel: A Meditation” and “A Song that Holds My Heart,” a prayer/song about Hatikvah. This prayer was first posted October 18, 2011.

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שיר בלב שלי

Posted on: July 26th, 2012 by tobendlight

This piece is as much a song as a prayer, written on a train from Acco to Tel Aviv in June, 2011, a trip that ultimately led to my aliyah one year later. Readers will recognize the allusion to the Israeli National Anthem, Hatikvah, ‘The Hope.’ Here’s a link to the original post, including audio of the prayer in English.

ADDENDUM, September 28, 2016: This song comes to mind as I think about the life and legacy of Shimon Peres z”l, who passed away this morning.

Postscript: This is my first attempt at a translation of one of my pieces into Hebrew. It’s not meant as a literary translation. This was an exercise that I completed at Ulpan-Or, a wonderful program of Hebrew study with amazing staff and resources. The idea came from Maytal Ganor. I worked on this translation with Yaakov Tayeb. I suspect that I’ll take another look at this translation at some point. If you have any suggestions, feel free to email them to me. Or, if you want to read some other lovely pieces about Israel, here are two links: “Israel: A Meditation” and “Jerusalem: A Meditation.”

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Photo Source: Jewish Agency for Israel

For Israel’s Olympic Athletes

Posted on: July 24th, 2012 by tobendlight

A prayer for the safety of Israel’s athletes, including a memorial to the victims of the 1972 Munich massacre and the hope for a joyous festival of sport for all nations. The second stanza is modified from my “Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer.”

For Israel’s Olympic Athletes
G-d of our ancestors,
Watch over Israel’s Olympic athletes
As the __________ [add year] __________ [Summer, Winter] Games begin
In ____________________ [add city].
Grant them safety and security
So that they may compete
With the fullness of their abilities and skills.
Let them exult in their accomplishments,
Finding their best selves in competition.
Shield them from hostility and venom.
Guard them from the hand of hatred and violence.
Bring them joy and gladness during this festival of international sport.
Let their dedication and dignity serve as a tribute
To the athletes slain during the 1972 Munich Games.

Grant Your protection and shelter
To all who travel under the flag of Israel
In the name of cooperation, understanding and goodwill –
Athletes, musicians, performers, artists and scholars.
May their spirit be a shining light of integrity and honor.
Watch over the defenders of Israel.
Bless them with courage and strength.
Grant the whole house of Israel
Safety throughout the earth.

May the __________ [add year] __________ [Summer, Winter] Games
Be a source of celebration and rejoicing
For spectators and athletes,
For coaches and fans,
For Israel,
For all nations
And for the world.

Postscript: See also “Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer,” “At the Hand of Anti-Semitism,” a Yizkor prayer, and “To the Terrorist,” a prayer of personal resolve to defend ourselves against terror and for healing the sick mind of the terrorist.

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Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer

Posted on: July 20th, 2012 by tobendlight

Here is a memorial prayer for the 40^th anniversary of the Munich massacre. The first stanza includes an allusion to the Eleh Ezkera, the liturgical poem that we will recite in just over a week on Tisha b’Av. The second and third stanzas are influenced strongly by this week’s attack on Israelis in Bourgas, Bulgaria. Also read this prayer “For Israel’s Olympic Athletes.”

Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
We remember as yesterday
The day of Olympic terror,
The day that our brothers,
Athletes and coaches,
Lost their lives to brutal violence
And our hearts are melting with sorrow.
We remember their joy and their dreams,
Their enthusiasm and their hope,
Their spirit and their valor,
Their love for each other
And their dedication to competition.
Grant them a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace.
Grant their families consolation and comfort
For Your Name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.

Ancient One,
Remember the virtues all who have
Died at the hand of hatred.
May their memory become our resolve
To protect our land and our people.
Watch over the defenders of Israel.
Bless them with safety and strength.
May their courage never falter.
Grant Your protection and shelter
To all who travel under the flag of Israel
In the name of cooperation, understanding and goodwill –
Athletes, musicians, performers, artists and scholars.
May their spirit be a shining light of integrity and honor.
Grant the whole house of Israel safety throughout the earth
Free from aggression and violence.

G-d of Old,
Shine a light of compassion into the world.
Put an end to malice, anger and fear.
Lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another,
A time when our people can travel without the threat of terror.
May the memories of those murdered
In the Munich massacre
Be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See also “For Israel’s Olympic Athletes,” “At the Hand of Anti-Semitism,” a Yizkor prayer, and “To the Terrorist,” a prayer of personal resolve to defend ourselves and for healing the mind of the terrorist. Please also read “For the Jews of France,” a prayer for safety and healing. Thanks again to my friend Brenda Epstein who suggested that I write a prayer to mark this anniversary.

Bulgaria: Funerals and Responses

Posted on: July 18th, 2012 by tobendlight

Funerals will soon begin here in Israel for the victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack on Israelis in Bourgas, Bulgaria. Meanwhile, our government has fixed blame on Iran and has pledged a response. Funerals and responses. Grief and courage. Mourning and self-defense.

Here are two prayers: one for funerals, one a response. The first is a Yizkor prayer for victims of anti-Semitism. It also memorializes victims in every generation and includes prayers for the defenders of Israel and for the righteous of all nations. I wrote it after a brutal anti-Semetic attack in Toulouse, France. The second is a prayer for the terrorist. This is tricky. What do we pray on behalf of those who hate, murder and destroy? “To the Terrorist” is from of “A Liturgy for 9-11.”

At the Hand of Anti-Semitism: A Yizkor Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name in Hebrew or your native tongue),
My [father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend]
Whose life was [lives were] cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression
And calculated anti-Semitism.
We remember his / her / their wisdom, talents and skills,
Joy, laughter and tears.
We remember the works of his / her / their hands
And the message of his / her / their heart[s].
Let these memories continue to bless us
Even as we pray for him / her / them to find peace
In the world to come.
Remember the virtues of those who’ve died
At the hand of malice
In every generation.
Bless the defenders of Israel
With safety and strength,
And the righteous of all nations who
Provide protection, shelter and comfort
To our people.
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our days.
May the memory [memories] of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his / her / their soul[s] be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

To the Terrorist
You who would hold the sky captive,
The sea prisoner,
The land in chains…

You who hide in caves,
Retreat to the wilderness,
Disappear behind false names and forged papers…

You who smuggle guns and arms,
Hide rockets in cities and bombs in homes,
Build weapons against the innocent and the bystander…

You whose designs are destruction,
Whose plans are fear,
Whose joy is hate…

You who harden your hearts
And wrap yourselves in death…

What evil has robbed you of your love,
Your compassion,
Your goodness,
Your humanity?
What lies have invaded your minds
So that you choose to die in order to kill?

We who love our lives and liberty
Stand firm and strong against terror.
We will defend our nation and our people.
We will protect our land and our homes.
And we pray for you to find hope and comfort
In lives of peace.

Postscript: “To the Terrorist” is from a set of prayers called “A Liturgy for 9-11.” “At the Hand of Anti-Semitism” is an adaptation of two of my other Yizkor prayers: “At the Hand of Violence” and “At the Hand of Terror.” Please also read “For the Jews of France,” a prayer for safety and healing.

Prayers for and About Israel

Posted on: April 25th, 2012 by tobendlight

Here are meditations and prayers for and about Israel. They are divided into two categories: Israel, Our Home; and, For Safety and Peace.

Israel, Our Home

Israel: A Meditation – We yearn for the land of our people
Jerusalem: A Meditation – For peace to reign in the City of Gold
A Song that Holds My Heart – Hatikvah, of course
שיר בלב שלי – “A Song that Holds My Heart,” translated
The Road Out – The land itself cries whenever we leave
Oh You Hills, Oh You Sands – An ode to the Negev
Gathering: A Dream of Reunion – A vision of an end to exile
Bechol Lashon (In Every Tongue) – For unity of our people

For Safety and Peace

For Soldiers of the IDF – For the safety of our soldiers
When My Child Enlists in the IDF – For a child entering the IDF
Lone Soldier in the IDF – Honoring the chiyal boded
For Peace in the Middle East – A prayer for peace
To the Terrorist – For terrorists to choose a new path

Photo Credit: אורן פלס, via PikiWikiIsrael and WikiMedia Commons

Oh You Hills, Oh You Sands

Posted on: January 8th, 2012 by tobendlight

I wrote this after meditating on the sand dunes of the Arava, a rift valley in the southern Negev. The meditation was led by staff from Kibbutz Ketura and Ben Gurion University. The assignment: go off in silence to think about the desert and what it evokes. Then, after 20 minutes, write about it. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Oh You Hills, Oh You Sands
Speak to me
Oh you hills.
Did my father pass this way?
Did my mother draw water
From some secret well?
Did I dream of angels and blessings?
Or will the man I am
Wrestle all night
With the man
I am yet to be?

Speak to me
Oh you sands.
What ancient beauty have you captured?
What silent yearning springs up
To water my heart?
What treasures do you
Still hold dear?

Let me know the music of your valleys.
Let me hear the heart beat
Beneath your thousand stones.
Let me remember
The ancient promise of home.

Speak to me
From the place where
Desert and sky meet
In perfect silence,
In perfect wisdom,
In perfect love.

Postscript: Here are additional prayers about Israel. For the sticklers among you, this photo was taken in Nachal Peres in the Negev near Masada, not in the Arava.

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 credit: Alden Solovy

Gathering: A Dream of Reunion

Posted on: December 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

והביאנו לשלום מארבע כנפות הארץ, ותוליכנו קוממיות לארצנו

Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us upright to our land…

On reciting this line, worshipers traditionally gather the four tzitzit that are draped around them on their talitot. The act reflects the historic longing for reunification as a people in our homeland. After my visit to Israel in June 2011, I began to see myself as the first tzitzit, thinking of my own return to the land as I held that first fringe. Then, each fringe took on a new meaning. The result is a meditation with a dreamlike quality, beginning with the yearning for Israel that’s in each of us. Here’s my dream, one tzitzit at a time. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Gathering: A Dream of Reunion
והביאנו לשלום מארבע כנפות הארץ
ותוליכנו קוממיות לארצנו

Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth
And lead us upright to our land…

First Tzitzit – Gathering fringes
The first knotted string in hand,
I imagine the journey home,
Home to the land of our mothers and fathers,
Holy and full of promise, labor and love,
To build a life of wonder and awe.
This is me.
This is my pilgrimage to sacred soil.
This is my dream of holiness and redemption.
I am the first tzitzit.
I am returning home.

Second Tzitzit – Gathering hearts
The second fraying string in hand,
I imagine my children, my family, my household
Returning with me to our homeland
To build and to renew our ancestral blood.
This is my family.
This is our journey to hallowed ground.
This is our wholeness and rebirth.
We are the second tzitzit.
We are returning home.

Third Tzitzit – Gathering moments
The third worn string in hand,
I imagine you, my community, my kahal,
Returning together to our Source and Shelter,
To consecrate the ancient land and our holy vow.
This is my village.
This is our journey to mystery and majesty.
This is our bond of ages.
We are the third tzitzit.
We are returning home.

Final Tzitzit – Gathering millennia
The final woolen string in hand,
I imagine all of us, from all corners of the Earth,
Returning with songs of praise and rejoicing,
To claim our place among the nation of Israel.
This is my people.
This is our journey of destiny.
This is our covenant.
We are the final tzitzit, separate no more.
We are returning home.

Postscript: I have since settled in Jerusalem. My children do not see themselves following. Still, this remains my wildest hope for them. And it will remain my deepest yearning for all of the people Israel. We will each arrive when the time is right. Click here for more prayers and meditations about Israel. Thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder for challenging me to think about how this meditation might be heard by those who are not on a path to aliyah.

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. If you use or like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing.

Photo Source: Old Shoe Woman (On Flickr)

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)

Gilad, Home at Last: A Prayer of Rejoicing and Healing

Posted on: October 18th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a prayer of rejoicing, with a somber note that Gilad Shalit will need time to heal. It includes two stanzas to honor all the defenders of Israel and uses a line from Birkot Hashachar as the chatimah, the seal ending the prayer. The URJ has also posted this prayer to its blog.

We will never forget the defenders of Israel.
We will never forget the guardians of Zion.
We will never forget the sentries of Am Kadosh.

We stand with the defenders of Israel.
We honor the guardians of Zion.
We hold dear the sentries of Am Kadosh.

G-d of Old,
You have returned this son of Israel to our people.
Now, bless him with all of Your gifts:
Vitality, energy, happiness and peace.

.ברוך אתה ה אלוקינו מלך העולם מתיר אסורים
Blessed are you, Adonai our God,
Sovereign of universe,
who releases the captive.

Postscript: In many ways, it seems to me, a prayer for Gilad is a prayer for us all. Here are two prayers for Israel: “Israel: A Meditation” and “A Song that Holds My Heart,” a prayer/song about Hatikvah. This prayer is an adaptation of one I wrote when news was annouced that he would be headed home, called “Prayer for Gilad’s Homecoming.” Here are additional prayers about Israel.

If you like this prayer, post a link to your Facebook page, to your blog or as part of a tweet. And don’t forget to click “like” on this page. Thanks. Please subscribe. For reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

Archive for the ‘Israel’ Category

Gilad Shalit, First Year Home

שיר בלב שלי

For Israel’s Olympic Athletes

Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer

Bulgaria: Funerals and Responses

Prayers for and About Israel

Oh You Hills, Oh You Sands

Gathering: A Dream of Reunion

Be’chol Lashon (In Every Tongue)

Gilad, Home at Last: A Prayer of Rejoicing and Healing

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