Tag Archive for "blessing" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘blessing’

For Rain

Posted on: November 29th, 2013 by Alden

Israel needs rain, so much so that the Chief Rabbinate is calling for the addition of a prayer for rain to daily prayers. Here’s my version of a prayer for rain, reposted in response to this call to action. I’ve added two lines to the second stanza to emphasize the blessings of rain. Please pray for rain where ever it’s needed and especially here in Israel.

For Rain
Source of life and blessings,
The rains come in their seasons
To feed the land, the crops, the gardens.
The earth abundant, food plentiful, gardens lush.
Sweet, clean water, feeding rivers, filling the sea.
Sometimes too much,
Sometimes too little,
Sometimes not at all.

Fountain of Blessing,
Remember us with life,
With beauty,
With the gift of rain,
The gifts of earth and sky,
Prosperity and bounty,
Blessings upon the land,
Each in its time,
Each in its season,
Each in its proper measure.

Postscript: This prayer first appeared here on December 12, 2010. Other seasonal prayers include: “For Winter,” “For Spring,” “For Summer,” “For Autumn” and “For the New Year.”

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons via the Israeli PikiWiki Project

After My Child’s Surgery

Posted on: November 3rd, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer is to be recited by a parent after a child’s surgery. It is a prayer of both gratitude and petition, thanking G-d for seeing the child through surgery while asking for healing. It also asks that G-d watch over all children recovering from surgery. It appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. There are seven prayers to be used before and after surgery in my book, including “For My Child’s Surgery.”

After My Child’s Surgery
G-d of renewal and strength,
Thank you for seeing my/our son/daughter
Through the many traumas of surgery.
Bless him/her with the gifts of comfort,
Healing and recovery,
As his/her body and spirit use Your Divine energy,
Endowed by Your loving hand,
On the journey toward wholeness.

Ease his/her pain.
Remove his/her suffering.
Grant him/her courage and endurance throughout these challenges,
Moments of joy and humor,
Happiness and love.

Bless [my/our] [son/daughter]
And all children whose recovery is not yet complete.
Erase their worries,
Strengthen their parents,
Fortify their partners
And bring peace to their families and friends.

May the One who heals with holiness and love,
Grant recovery to my son/daughter and to all children in need.

Postscript: Other prayers for healing include: “Upon Recovery from Surgery,” “For a Critically Ill Mother,” “For a Critically Ill Child,” “For a Critically Ill Father” and “For Healing the Spirit.”

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Source: WikiMedia Commons

For the Gift of Music, In Memory of Lou Reed

Posted on: October 28th, 2013 by tobendlight

My prayer “For the Gift of Music,” reposted today in memory of Lou Reed. Here’s a favorite: “A Walk on the Wild Side.” This prayer from my series on creativity, a short and sweet one about music with a different focus than “For the Gift of Song.” That post explains the common structure of these prayers. To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Gift of Music
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of music,
For horn and flute,
For strings and drums,
For crescendo and staccato,
For the gift that gives our spirits a divine voice.
Hear this prayer for those who write music, arranging sound, seeking beauty.
Hear this prayer for those who play music, creating sound, releasing beauty.
Make their music Your vessel.
Let heaven pour joy and sorrow, love and loss through them
So that they overflow with Your most secret prayers for Your people,
Drawing others to Your blessings.
So that when we hear their music
Our souls turn back to You for shelter.
Together, we offer our voices back to heaven,
And rejoice.

Postscript: This prayer first appeared on May 12, 2010. Please check out the other prayers in this series: “For the Gift of Song,” “For the Gift of Words,” “For the Gift of Dance,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Laughter,” “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” and “For the Joy of Learning.”

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Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

After My Surgery

Posted on: October 23rd, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer is to be recited by an individual after surgery. It asks for recovery and healing for all in need. This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

After My Surgery
God of renewal and strength,
Thank you for seeing me
Through the many traumas of surgery.
Bless my body with the gift of vitality and renewal
As I move through the process of recovery.
Grant me rest, comfort and healing.
Bless my body and spirit with Your Divine energy,
Endowed by Your loving hand,
On the path to wholeness.

Bless all of us whose recovery is not yet complete,
All whose future remains uncertain.
Erase our worries,
Console our children,
Strengthen our parents,
Fortify our partners
And bring peace to our families and friends.

May the One who heals with holiness and love,
Grant a full and speedy recovery to me and all in need.

Postscript: Other prayers for healing that will appear in include: “Upon Recovery from Surgery,” “For a Critically Ill Mother,” “For a Critically Ill Child,” “For a Critically Ill Father” and “For Healing the Spirit.”

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Source: WikiMedia Commons

Before My Surgery

Posted on: October 17th, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer is for an individual’s use before surgery. It asks for healing, as well as blessings upon medical professionals and family members. In preparing it for my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing, I made two changes. I changed the title — originally “For Surgery” — to make the intended use clearer. I also cut one line from the section asking for G-d to give the family strength “regardless of the result.” Although that line is important to me, my instinct is to focus on hope. There are seven prayers in my book for use before and after surgery.

Before My Surgery
G-d of health and healing,
I surrender myself to the physician’s hand,
The surgeon’s knife,
The nurse’s care,
Placing my body in the cradle of others,
Just as I place my soul in Your loving arms.

Bless my surgeon with a steady hand,
Keen vision
And a passion for healing.

Bless my caregivers with wisdom and skill,
With compassion, focus and dedication.

Bless my family with ease and comfort.
Give them energy and endurance, tranquility and peace.
Remind them to care for themselves and each other,
Even as their hearts and prayers turn to me.

Bless my body with strength,
My spirit with courage,
My thoughts with hope
And my life with renewed purpose.

Source of life,
Bless us with Your guidance,
Make us Your partner in healing
And grant a full and speedy recovery.

Tweetable! Here’a suggested tweet. Please tweet it (with link): Prayer Before Surgery: “Bless my surgeon with a steady hand…Bless my body with strength…” https://tobendlight.com/?p=9254

Source: WikiMedia Commons

Lech Lecha 5774: For Service

Posted on: October 12th, 2013 by tobendlight

In Lech Lecha, G-d tells Avram that he will be a blessing to humanity. “…and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) With the change of one vowel, the Midrash relates, the Hebrew word for ‘blessing’ becomes ‘spring of water.’ And so, by blessing, we heal, we purify, we connect each other to G-d. For Lech Lecha 5774, I’ve replaced the metaphor of being a ‘lamp’ with being a ‘well’ of love. Ultimately, this is a prayer about living a life of service. The original will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For Service (Lech Lecha 5774)
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,
A well, overflowing with 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.”

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Photo Source: Rebecca Gottesman – Fine Art

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Repentance Inside

Posted on: September 10th, 2013 by tobendlight

What does it take to internalize a deep sense of repentance, so that real change is possible? What will it take to be the man G-d envisioned when making me? This is from a series about internalizing G-d’s gifts, including “Egypt Inside” and “Forgiveness Inside.” This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Repentance Inside
This I confess:
I have taken my transgressions with me,
Carrying them year-by-year into my hours and days,
My lapses of conscience
And indiscretion with words,
My petty judgments
And my vanity,
Clinging to grief and fear, anger and shame,
Clinging to excuses and to old habits.
I’ve felt the light of heaven,
Signs and wonders in my own life,
And still will not surrender to holiness and light.

G-d of redemption,
With Your loving and guiding hand
Repentance in prayer is easy.
Repentance inside,
Leaving my faults and offenses behind,
Is a struggle.
In Your wisdom You have given me this choice:
To live today as I lived yesterday,
Or to set my life free to love You,
To love Your people,
And to love myself.

G-d of forgiveness, help me to leave my transgressions behind,
To hear Your voice,
To accept Your guidance,
And to see the miracles in each new day.

Blessed are You,
G-d of justice and mercy,
You set Your people on the road to t’shuva.

Postscript: Here are focused lists of prayers for the High Holidays: Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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

For Medical Science

Posted on: August 25th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a prayer giving thanks for the gifts of medical science. Related prayers include: “For Organ Donation” and “For Organ and Tissue Donation.” Other prayers in the series include one “For Nurses” and another “For Physicians.”

ADDENDUM, Spring, 2020: I used this as the basis of “Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists.”

For Medical Science
G-d of wisdom,
We give thanks for the fruits of medical science,
The gifts of health and healing
That have saved millions of people:
From immunization to chemotherapy,
From diagnostics to surgery.
You gave us the tools of science and research,
Intelligence and curiosity,
Challenging us to be Your partner
In bringing new medications and remedies,
Technologies and procedures,
Into the world.
The needs are great.
Diseases and conditions still plague
The lives of our families,
Our brothers and sisters,
Nations and communities,
Young and old.

G-d of love,
Bless medical scientists and researchers with
Insight and skill,
Dedication and fortitude,
So that their work yields knowledge and understanding
Leading to new treatments and cures,
Speedily, in our day.
Grant medical science the wisdom to use these gifts wisely
In service to the highest ideals of humankind.

Rock of Ages,
Bring an end to pain and suffering,
So that all may know
Your compassion and Your grace.

Blessed are You,
G-d of health and healing.

Postscript: My other prayers for healing include: “For Surgery,” “On Waiting for An Organ Transplant,” “Upon Recovery from Surgery,” “For Healing the Spirit” and “For a Critically Ill Child.”

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.

Photo Source: East Stroudsberg University

Let Your Heart Stir

Posted on: August 11th, 2013 by tobendlight

This three-stanza prayer/poem reflects the spiritual journey of t’shuva, repentance and return. The first stanza represents the month of Elul, when we are literally called to introspection by the sound of the shofar. The second stanza represents Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment that also heralds the joy and hope of a new heart and another chance to live a life of holiness. The third stanza represents Yom Kippur, when, after 40 days of introspection and one intense day of prayer and fasting, our spirits are renewed. Our hearts stir throughout these 40 days, but differently as the progression of themes and emotions lead us to new awareness, new behavior and new relationships with ourselves, with the world and with G-d.

Let Your Heart Stir
Breathe in the sound of the shofar.
Let the trumpet of our people
Be the voice of your heart.
For your soul knows the call.
Let your heart stir
And your eyes open, anew.

Taste the sweetness of the new year.
The delight of healing,
The joy of possibilities,
The pleasure of being.
Let your heart stir
And your eyes open, anew.

Exalt in the triumph of forgiveness.
Let the glory of repentance
Be the light of your days,
For your spirit knows the way home.
Let your heart stir
And your eyes open, anew.

Postscript: Here are links to prayers for Elul, prayers for Rosh Hashana, prayers for Yom Kippur and prayers for Sukkot.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Breathe in the sound of the shofar. Let the trumpet of our people
Be the voice of your heart…” A prayer: https://tobendlight.com/?p=8243

Photo Source: Temple B’nai Shalom

Receiving Blessings

Posted on: July 31st, 2013 by tobendlight

This prayer is about opening my heart to receive blessings. Why? For me, it is easier to bless than to accept the blessings of others. Even with years of writing gratitude lists, even though I know that life is a “Garden of Blessings,” fully taking in a compliment, a good word or a blessing is still a challenge, something I must practice. So, with this prayer I ask for G-d’s help in receiving blessings.

Receiving Blessings
Ancient One,
Open my heart to receive
The blessings around me,
Kindness and wisdom,
Friendship and understanding,
Tenderness and compassion,
Moments of holiness,
Messages from heaven.

Source and Shelter,
Why can I bless others
With the fullness of my being
With joy and thanksgiving,
But struggle to be blessed?
To release my heart?
To take in these gifts?

Rock and Redeemer,
Grant me the ability to see and to hear
The blessings around me,
A fountain of love
To fill my soul
With gratitude and courage,
With joy and peace.

Postscript: Here are prayers with a similar theme: “An Amazing Life,” “These Blessings” and “Unlock Your Heart.”

Photo Source: The Poached Egg

Posts Tagged ‘blessing’

For Rain

After My Child’s Surgery

For the Gift of Music, In Memory of Lou Reed

After My Surgery

Before My Surgery

Lech Lecha 5774: For Service

Repentance Inside

For Medical Science

Let Your Heart Stir

Receiving Blessings

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