Posts Tagged ‘Bar Mitzvah’

 

Meditation for a Child’s First Torah Reading

Posted on: May 19th, 2011 by tobendlight

backlittorahThis prayer was inspired by a video of a friend’s daughter reading Torah, although it wasn’t her first time chanting. Add the Shehecheyanu to the end of this prayer. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. Here are two related short, short stories: “Mendel Baruch” and “Motyl the Fool.”

 

 

Meditation for a Child’s First Torah Reading
Holy one,
Ancient Source of wisdom and truth,
My daughter / son is about to enter
The sacred garden of Your Law,
Chanting Torah on behalf of our people for the first time.
How splendid is this moment!
How amazing in beauty and hope!
May this be the beginning of a miraculous journey,
A sacred romance of head and heart
Between my daughter / son and the wisdom of the ages,
Between my child and Your Holy Word.
Grant me the ability to listen and to hear
As she / he gives voice to Your mysteries.
May this moment herald a life
Dedicated to unlocking the secrets
Hidden in our holy texts.
May I be privileged to hear her / him
Read Torah again and again,
Always remembering my joy in this moment,
My heart full of praises.
[Add Shehecheyanu.]

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here’s a short, short story about reading Torah for the first time, “Hershal Dovid: A Torah Reading Story.”

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

Photo Source: Judea Reform Congregation

Hershal Dovid: A Torah Reading Story

Posted on: May 12th, 2011 by tobendlight

backlittorahThis 131-word story is about the joy of reading Torah. The story is named for my cousin Jon’s oldest son, David. I got the idea after attending his Bar Mitzvah. It’s similar in theme and texture to two other short, short stories: “Mendel Baruch” and “Motyl the Fool.” To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

 

 

Hershal Dovid : A Torah Reading Story
When Hershal Dovid stepped up to read Torah for the first time, when he walked up to the bimah and took his place on the pulpit, when he held the yad in his hand and pointed it at the Sacred Scroll, the parchment gleamed before his very eyes. Hershal’s body began to tremble, his heart filled with a luminous flow of holy light, his voice filled with the radiance of Divine gifts. As he chanted in perfect pitch, in perfect cadence, with perfect inflection, the Torah itself joined in the song. Hershal Dovid and the Word of G-d sang a duet of everlasting love, of everlasting devotion, the song of the ancient and the new, of the finite and the infinite, of our longing for G-d, of G-d’s longing for us.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

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

Photo Source: Judea Reform Congregation

Can These Bones Live?

Posted on: April 22nd, 2011 by tobendlight

?בֶּן-אָדָם, הֲתִחְיֶינָה הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה
Son of man, can these bones live? — Ezekiel 37:3

We’ll read Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones tomorrow, Shabbat Chol Hamoed Pesach and the anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah. It’s been a rough road for me and my family. At times I’ve felt like an empty shell of bones. Was it a coincidence that this was my reading? G-d renews us, both as individuals and as the whole house of Israel. I will chant these words again tomorrow.

This is a prayer for a new heart, for healing from within. Deep in my chest, I know what it’s like for a dulled heart to reawaken to life. It is neither gentle nor painless. On this anniversary, I honor my own journey by reposting this prayer. For G-d, indeed, has blessed me with a new heart. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The entire text follows.

 

This Stubborn Heart
This heart refuses to heal.
The pain must stay fresh,
The wound must stay open.
How else will I remember
The shattered love,
The scattered dreams?

No more!
I reject this heart that scorns
The balm of time,
The salve of companions,
The grace of music,
The power of the open sky.

Let joy and humor
Fill my chest with passion
For every moment,
Every person,
Every longing,
And every desire.
Let it pump sweetness
From ventricle to ventricle
And into my empty veins.

Cut out this stubborn heart.
Replace it with a clean organ,
Fresh with romance and blood.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This prayer also fits, albeit awkwardly given the tone, into the theme of the first week of Counting the Omer, Chesed: Loving-kindness, benevolence. This prayer was originally posted July 13, 2010.

If you like this prayer, post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or as part of a tweet. 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. Please consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing.

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