Tag Archive for "faith" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Motyl the Fool

Posted on: August 25th, 2010 by tobendlight

This short, short story celebrates the pure, unbounded joy of loving Torah. It’s a favorite and great for Simchat Torah. Here are more stories and prayers for Simchat Torah, including a prayer “For The Gift of Torah Scholarship.” The image is from a poster created for my “Whispered Prayer” by sofer Jamie Shear. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Motyl the Fool
Motyl doesn’t know a single word of Talmud. He can’t recite a single verse of Torah. But when he lifts the Sacred Scroll on Simchat Torah, when he holds the wood in his hand and the velvet brushes his cheek, when the song wraps itself around his heart, the parchment itself can feel his joy. Motyl dances, clutching the Torah to his chest and singing with all his might, “Torah orah, Torah orah, hallelujah!” One by one the words of the Law rise off the Scroll to dance with him. He dances with Breisheit and Shabbat, with Shema and Hineni. And Motyl the Fool can feel the fire of G-d’s Word. Motyl doesn’t know a single word of Talmud. He can’t recite a single verse of Torah. Motyl doesn’t need to. The words know him.

Postscript: The full “Whispered Prayer” poster is available for sale as a downloadable PDF. Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here are focused lists of prayers for Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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.

The Path of Righteousness

Posted on: August 19th, 2010 by tobendlight

On Yom Kippur the questions of who we are and what we might become collide, as do the questions of what we’ve done with our lives and how much time we have left. The path of righteousness is paved with questions. This prayer echoes the Un’tanneh Tokef, an amazing and powerful prayer recited on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. To listen while you read, click the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

The Path of Righteousness
G-d of what was and what will be,
Of what might have been and might still be.
G-d of past and future,
Of memories and beginnings.
G-d of the finite and the infinite,
Of moments and possibilities.
What is my life?
And what of my death?
What of my choices?
And what of my future?
What of this distance?
And what of the endless sky?
What of the darkness?
And what of the light?

G-d of the seen and unseen,
Of the known and unknowable.
Teach me patience and understanding
As the mysteries of my life unfold.
Teach me to live gently, love generously,
And to walk with strength and confidence.
Teach me to give and to receive,
Sharing Your blessings in joy and sorrow.
Teach me to see others through Your eyes,
As children of G-d.
And teach me to see myself and my life as You do,
With love.

Blessed are You, Adonai,
Source of life,
Guardian and Shelter,
You set Your people on the path of righteousness,
Holiness and charity,
Kindness and grace,
To return to You in service.
Blessed is Your Holy Name.

Postscript: Here’s a link to prayers and stories for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days, listed by topic.

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: Photo by Martin Kozák, Wikimedia Commons

Cantor Cohen (A Yom Kippur Story)

Posted on: August 12th, 2010 by tobendlight

From the time of the Temple until today, our spiritual leaders have trembled at the enormity of task of praying for forgiveness on behalf of the entire Jewish people. In all corners of the globe, whereever Jews assemble to pray during these Days of Awe, Hineni — the leader’s prayer for humility — is in the heart of our leaders. The melody is haunting and beautiful. To listen to the story, click on the triangle in the slider bar below. The text follows.

Cantor Cohen
The morning before Kol Nidre, Cantor Cohen is dressed by sunrise, covered by his talit, wrapped in hope and fear. The gates of heaven, still shut. The gates of repentance, still locked. The gates of forgiveness, unmoved. What will it take, O God, for my voice to reach You? What will it take, Our Maker, for our pleas to move You? Should we shake heaven with a mighty song? Or should we cry in whispers, hoping to be heard? The prayer, ancient. The longing, present. And Cantor Cohen prays to pray with a perfect heart.

Postscript: Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, including brief descriptions and links to each. Use it list to look for prayers topically. To narrow your search, here are lists divided by holiday and topic: Elul, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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.

For the New Year

Posted on: August 8th, 2010 by tobendlight

Elwha-River-log-Scott-Church-copy This New Year prayer opens by comparing both the gift of life and the flow of time to the movement of a river. It ends with gratitude and the longing for peace. Appropriate for Rosh Hashana and the secular new year, it appears with other New Year’s eve prayers in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day.

For the New Year
G-d of time and space,
Hand of rhythm and grace,
You’ve granted me moments and breaths,
Life like a river,
Rapids and flats,
Deep narrow canyons
And bright open skies,
Thundering, churning waters
And calm gentle flows.
A life of beauty and wonder
Beyond my understanding,
Beyond my wildest dreams.
And yet,
And still, Heavenly Redeemer,
You also give me choices,
To live in grief or joy,
Fear or awe,
Tears or laughter.
To lift my life in glory and radiance,
A shining light of kindness and love.

Postscript: Here’s a meditation called “Another Year: An Introspection.”

Photo credit: Scott Church / National Park Service

For Wonder and Awe

Posted on: August 1st, 2010 by tobendlight

This prayer was not explicitly written either for Counting the Omer or for Yom Kippur. It fits both. The suggestion here, love ourselves enough to live disciplined lives, ties to day 8 of the omer, “lovingkindness in discipline.” The Yom Kippur connection may be more obvious. The voice of classic piyyutim for repentance echo in the second stanza. This prayer poem appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings © 2019 CCAR Press.

For Wonder and Awe
My body is Yours, oh my G-d,
My limbs Your tools, my heart Your dwelling.
Open my heart to receive Your gifts,
Wonder and awe,
Grace and majesty,
Full yet humble,
A symphony of song and delight.

As for me,
I have chased dust in vain pursuit,
Pursued shadows in selfish desire,
Grasped for wind instead of seeking You,
My Rock,
My Holy Shelter.

My body is Yours, O my G-d,
My life abundant,
My moments bursting with love.

Give me new wisdom,
To live by Your word,
To honor Your Holy Name,
So that Your gifts to me
Return to You as blessings.

Postscript: My other prayers of wonder include: “About the Rainbow,” “About the Heavens,” “Come Walk” and “Rejoice!” Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days, including brief descriptions and links to each.

Please check out my ELItalk “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: Wired

For Grace

Posted on: July 28th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is meditation about living a life of grace, humility and love. How? By offering grace to others. This prayer, which is appropriate at any time of the year, has particular relevance during the first week of Counting of the Omer and during the Hebrew month of Elul. This prayer appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.

For Grace
All I am,
All I have,
All I’ll become
Are present in this moment:
Warmth and breath,
Love and compassion,
Silence and celebration.
Everything, here.
All gifts, present.

What then, G-d of All Being,
What then of my choices?
What will I make of the space
Between this breath and the next?
Will I bring laughter and light,
Hope and faith,
Wonder and strength?
Will I stand in humble service
For all of my brothers and sisters?

Maker of heaven and earth,
Grant us the wisdom to choose lives of grace,
Lives of vision and understanding,
Seeing each moment as a choice
To bless our companions
With strength and wisdom,
With honor and respect.

Blessed are the gentle moments of grace.

Photo Credit: Alden Solovy

The Season of Healing

Posted on: July 21st, 2010 by tobendlight

The Days of Awe are a time for introspection and self-assessment in anticipation of repentance, forgiveness, thanksgiving and rejoicing. This rhythm binds who we are now to who we will become. It frees us from everything that holds us back. It is a season of healing. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

The Season of Healing
This is the season of healing:
Of healing our hearts and minds,
Of healing the moments we share with each other
And the moments we share with ourselves.

This is the season of memory:
Of remembering our parents and grandparents,
The love of generations,
The holiness of our ancestors.

This is the season of stillness,
The season of silence and quiet:
Of deep breaths,
Of open eyes,
Of compassion and consolation.

This is the season of healing:
The season of grief turning to wonder,
Of loss turning toward hope,
The season that binds this year to the next,
The season that frees this year from the next,
The season that heralds the redemption of spirit
And our return to God’s Holy Word.

Postscript: This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. Here’s a link to other prayers for the Yamim Noraim, the High Holy Days.

Photo Source: TzfatKabbalah.org

For Surgery

Posted on: July 8th, 2010 by tobendlight

This prayer is to be recited by an individual about to undergo surgery. It asks for healing, as well as blessings upon medical professionals and family members. Here’s a link to another prayer to be said “Upon Recovery From Surgery.” To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For 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,
Regardless of the result.
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.

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.”

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.

Life as a Symphony

Posted on: July 5th, 2010 by tobendlight

Compassion gains an element of nobility when developed as a spiritual practice. This prayer is about living a reverent and compassionate life. It’s from a set of prayers including “Life as a Garden,” “Life as a Banquet” and “Life as a Ceremony.” Each calls for the introspection to see life as a glorious gift. They appear in Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Life as a Symphony
G-d of ancient secrets,
Source of life,
Creator of beauty,
Divine light of sacred truth,
My strength has its limits,
My power its purpose,
The energy of life flowing from a secret well beyond my reach
And beyond my imagination.
What I find and what finds me are a mystery and a miracle.

Heavenly hand of radiance and hope,
Author of all being,
Grant me the wisdom and understanding to live my life as a symphony,
A river of majestic music that blesses and sustains life
With holiness and love,
That I repay with kindness and charity.
Give me the passion and the patience to hear the rhythms of Your glorious creation.

You who bring beauty and song,
Guide me with Your power,
Teach me with Your kindness,
Show me the reverence for Your secret truths,
So that I live a life of joy and celebration,
With gratitude for Your creation.

Blessed are You, G-d of salvation and splendor,
Creation sings Your praise.

Postscript: I use this prayer for the 21th day of counting the Omer: “Nobility in Compassion.”

Photo Credit: UNCW Randall Library

An Amazing Life

Posted on: June 29th, 2010 by tobendlight

What makes life amazing? Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, darkness and light. And the choice to embrace life with a sense of awe and wonder no matter what. This piece appears in my new book This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The entire text follows.

An Amazing Life
This is an amazing life,
A gift of moments
Precious and dear,
Profound in joy.
Profound in sorrow.

This is an amazing life,
A gift of moments
Glorious and holy,
Rich in laughter,
Rich with tears.

This is an amazing life,
A gift beyond imagination,
Fantastic stories of solitude and adventure,
Tales of darkness and light,
Psalms of frailty and endurance,
Poetry written in time and motion,
In stillness and silence,
In shouts and whispers,
In mourning and wondrous celebration.
This is an amazing life,
A river of blessings,
A gift to cherish
In awe and wonder.

Blessed are the gifts of life.
Blessed is the Giver of life.
Blessed is this amazing life.

Postscript: Here is a link to prayers of and for Thanksgiving.

Please check out my Meet the Author video 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

Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Motyl the Fool

The Path of Righteousness

Cantor Cohen (A Yom Kippur Story)

For the New Year

For Wonder and Awe

For Grace

The Season of Healing

For Surgery

Life as a Symphony

An Amazing Life

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