Tag Archive for "healing" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘healing’

Ministers of Earthly Blessings

Posted on: June 16th, 2020 by Alden

Angels are first mentioned in the Talmud in Masechet Brachot 4b. Quoting a Tosefta, we learn the number of flights an angel needs to get from one place to the next. Michael needs only one flight. Gabriel two. Elijah the Prophet, who was assumed into heaven and at times travels the earth, needs four flights. The Angel of Death needs eight flights. Except during a plague.

.וּמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת — בִּשְׁמֹנֶה. וּבִשְׁעַת הַמַּגֵּפָה, בְּאֶחָת

And the Angel of Death, in eight. During a time of plague, in one.

During a plague – when death feels ubiquitous – the Angel of Death needs only one flight. In a pandemic, the Angel of Death is as powerful in flight as the Archangel Michael. Right now, it certainly seems like the Angel of Death has stronger wings then ever, empowered by the twin plagues of Covid-19 and virulent racism, the twin plagues of virus and hate that are claiming lives.

Ministers of Earthly Blessings
The angel of death
Has new wings
And leaps in powerful bounds
To claim souls
For heaven.

And why do we lend ourselves to this cause,
When plagues still stalk the earth?
The plague of disease that strangles from within.
The plague of violence that strangles from without.

We are the ministers of healing,
The angels of righteousness,
Touched by the Holy One,
The emissaries of earthly blessings.
We are the wings of life,
And the agents of change,
In the streets,
In the courts,
In the hospitals and clinics,
In our homes and in our communities.

Give love your power.
Give justice your voice.
Give truth the work of your hands.

Let us fly more swiftly than the plague itself,
Spreading hope and healing
Throughout the land.
We are the wings of wholeness.
We are the wings of peace.

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Postscript:

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and my two CCAR Press books: This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings 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.

One-by-One: A Prayer as the COVID Death Toll Mounts

Posted on: May 27th, 2020 by Alden

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is approaching 100,000, as the world-wide death toll surpasses 350,000. This prayer was written at the request of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in an effort to remember and mourn those lost hearts and souls as the U.S. marks this sad milestone.

ADDENDUM: As of February 17, 2021, the U.S. death toll surpassed 500,000 and total deaths world-wide are nearing 2.5 million people.

One-by-One: A Prayer as the COVID Death Toll Mounts
God of consolation,
Surely you count in heaven,
Just as we count here on earth,
In shock and in sorrow,
The souls sent back to You,
One-by-one,
The dead from the COVID pandemic,
As the ones become tens,
The tens become hundreds,
The hundreds become thousands,
The thousands become ten-thousands
And then hundred-thousands,
Each soul, a heartbreak,
Each soul, a life denied.

God of wisdom,
Surely in the halls of divine justice
You are assembling the courts,
Calling witnesses to testify,
To proclaim
The compassion of some
And the callousness of others
As we’ve struggled to cope.
The souls taken too soon,
Whose funerals were lonely,
Who didn’t need to die,
Who died alone,
Will tell their stories
When You judge
Our triumphs
And our failures
In these hours of need.

God of healing,
Put an end to this pandemic,
And all illness and disease.
Bless those who stand in service to humanity.
Bless those who grieve.
Bless the dead,
So that their souls are bound up in the bond of life eternal.
And grant those still afflicted
With disease or trauma
A completed and lasting healing,
One-by-one,
Until suffering ceases,
And we can stop counting the dead,
In heaven
And on earth.

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Postscript: My other coronavirus prayers are: “Sheltering in Place,” “On the Front Lines of the Pandemic,” “Healing from Coronavirus“, “Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists” and “Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic.”

Photo Source: The New York Times, May 24, 2020

Let’s Hike Together in Israel

Posted on: April 13th, 2020 by Alden

I wrote this meditation — “On the Trail” — after 17 days thru-hiking and mountaineering on Mount Rainier. In Israel, I’m still an avid hiker. So… let’s go hiking together! Really. When we’re done sheltering in place, Via Sabra – the experiential Israel tour pros – and I invite you to hike with me in my spiritual Israel. We’ll have a professional tour guide describing the land and plan a variety of cultural and culinary experiences. For those inclined, I’ll lead a variety of spiritual experiences. If you’re interested in finding our more, drop me an email.

On the Trail
G-d of beginnings,
G-d of mystery and adventure,
The path is steep,
The route is hidden,
The trail a narrow ridge line,
Exposed and treacherous,
Slicing between majestic canyons,
Rising to the awesome sky.
The load is heavy, the destination unknown,
But the journey has rhythm and dance,
Song and story,
Ancient music that rises around us,
To take us from sunset to sunset
As we move into the glorious unknown
Step by step,
Moment by moment,
Day by day by day.

G-d of the wayfarer,
G-d of the traveler and sojourner,
Divine light of wonder and truth,
Lead us.
Show us the way
Across vast open spaces
And through tight, narrow passages.
Guide us.
Show us the way
Through stormy days
And moonless nights.

Blessed are You, Source and Shelter,
Guide and Compass, Oasis of Strength,
You lead Your people from trail to trail,
From trial to trial,
From darkness to light,
With love.

Postscript: This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer. It was first published on April 4, 2010.

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.

Photos of Alden Solovy

Healing from Coronavirus: Hebrew and English

Posted on: April 1st, 2020 by Alden

Here’s a Hebrew version of my prayer “Healing from Coronavirus,” with a revised English version so that the two match. Alex Griffel, a student at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies when I am also a student and Liturgist-in-Residence, translated the text, after he and I made some adaptations. Faculty member Rabbi Howard Markose who teachesBiblical Hebrew Grammar reviewed the draft. There were technical issues with the Hebrew, with new challenges appearing with each reread of the text. This is the result. Note: As a writing coach I have two open spots for new clients. Contact me at: alden@tobendlight.com.

Healing from Coronavirus

יהי רצון מלפניך
ה’ אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו ואמותינו
,שתשלח אור בריאות ורווחה לכל מי שנחשף לקורונה
,מי שלקה במחלת הקורונה
.וכל מי שילקה בה בעתיד – חס ושלום
.תברך אותם, תגן עליהם ,ותביא אותם במהירות להתאוששות שלמה
.תשלח להם רפואת הנפש ,רפואת הגוף ורפואת הנשמה
ונאמר, אמן

May it be Your will,
G-d of our fathers and mothers
That You cast the light of health and well-being
On those who’ve been exposed to coronavirus,
Those who have contracted the disease,
And those who contract the disease in the future, G-d forbid.
Bless them, protect them and bring them speedily to full recovery.
Send them
Healing of soul,
Healing of body,
And healing of spirit.
And let us say, Amen

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New! A PDF version of Haggadah Companion: Meditations and Readings. Get a $1.00 off with the coupon code “freedom” (without quotes) at checkout. The PDF edition is in memory of my wife Ami z”l, who died before Passover 11 years ago. Here’s a link.

The Blessing of Faces: A Zoom Prayer

Posted on: March 30th, 2020 by Alden

This prayer is inspired by the array of faces of men I love on a Zoom call. It is, in fact, a poetic version of the blessing that Steve Stanley — a ritual elder in the ManKind Project — gave to the men of ManKind Project Israel on our first virtual Community Tent, a meeting of all MKP Israel men. The idea is his; the words are (mostly) mine. Use this prayer to open Zoom calls. This is my second prayer inspired by the new reality of living with coronavirus. The first is called “Sheltering in Place.” Links to my health-related coronavirus prayers are below.

The Blessing of Faces
So many beautiful faces,
So many radiant souls,
Shining forth
Into our hearts.

Look at those eyes.
The smiles.
The hopes. The fears.
The yearning. The questioning.
The compassion.
The love.

Take it in.
Take it all in.
The tenderness.
The humanity.
The blessing of faces
Arrayed before you.
The blessing of faces,
Given,
And received.

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Photo Source: Zoom Help Center

Sheltering in Place

Posted on: March 29th, 2020 by Alden

In this strange and uncertain new era of COVID-19, here’s a prayer of gratitude and hope for our time sheltering in place. May we all know health and safety.

Sheltering in Place
May it be Your will,
G-d of our fathers and mothers,
That our sheltering in place
Be for health and healing,
Longevity and life,
Sustenance, renewal and love.
Let our best selves shine forth
In these moments of uncertainty,
These moments of unfamiliar distances,
These moments that may yield stress or conflict,
Confusion or despair.
Let peace arise inside us.
Let kindness flow between us.
Let deliverance rise up from heaven,
And let health and goodwill radiate throughout the world
As a river of blessings.

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Postscript: My other coronavirus prayers are: “On the Front Lines of the Pandemic,” “Healing from Coronavirus“, “Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists” and “Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic.”

On the Front Lines of the Pandemic

Posted on: March 25th, 2020 by Alden

A prayer for those on the front lines of the pandemic. It begins with the medical professionals putting themselves in harm’s way. The second stanza broadens the view of what’s included as ‘the front lines.’ It ends with two universal prayers. For a focused prayer for medical professionals, skip the second paragraph, although I believe this crisis calls for the inclusive view. Here are three related prayers: “Healing from Coronavirus“, “Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists” and “Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic.” Note: As a writing coach I have two open spots for new clients. Contact me at: alden@tobendlight.com.

On the Front Lines of the Pandemic

Source of mercy,
Watch over the medical professionals –
Doctors, nurses and all health care workers –
On the front lines of the pandemic
As they tend to the sick,
Putting themselves in harm’s way
To care for us.
Protect them from illness.
Shield them from trauma.
Guard them from all harm.
Bless their limbs with strength,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hands with gentleness,
For they are a source of hope and love.
May their deeds
Find favor in heaven
And bring healing on earth.

Rock of love,
Watch over those who are caring for the vulnerable,
The disabled, infirm, chronically-ill and elder populations,
And those who are called upon to serve the public in new ways,
All who cannot protect themselves with self-isolation,
Among them police, fire, ambulance and sanitation,
As well as those providing for our basic needs,
Workers in grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential services,
All who are doing Your work with love,
Putting themselves at additional risk
In service to humankind.

G-d of healing,
Extend your tabernacle of health and peace
To all in need.
Bring a speedy end to this pandemic,
And all disease and suffering,
So that we may know
Your compassion and Your grace.

Let deliverance rise up from heaven,
Let joy and celebration resound
From the four corners of the earth,
And may peace,
At long last,
Reign on earth.

Postscript: Thanks to Michael Jarvis, a student cantor at HUC-JIR, who suggested the idea for this prayer. Here are prayers “For Nurses” and “For Physicians.” Both appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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.

Shavua Tov Live! with Trisha, Devon and Alden

Posted on: March 21st, 2020 by Alden

This is your personal invitation to an online reading of prayer and poetry, with song and meditation, to uplift your week. Ritualwell is hosting a half-hour event featuring Devon Spier, Trisha Arlin and me on Sunday, March 22, at 1:00 p.m. eastern time on Zoom. Register in advance here. We’ll each read from our work. Devon will lead a chant and I’ll lead a Six-Word Prayer moment. Here’s a taste of the event. Remember to register.

Trisha Arlin’s “Instead of: A Prayer for Peace“

Blessed Yah, Creator, Created, Creating…
We pray for peace,
For ourselves and the world,
Even if only for one day:

Instead of anger, we choose kindness.
Instead of revenge, we choose justice.
Instead of resentment, we choose empathy.
Instead of work, we choose rest.
Instead of ideology, we choose compromise.
Instead of destruction, we choose community.
Instead of fear, we choose endurance.
Instead of invective, we choose prayer.
Instead of violence, we choose peace.

Blessed Yah, Creator, Created, Creating…
We give thanks for this day of peace.
May it change us, may it change the world,
And let us say, Amen.

Chant to be led by Devon Spier

From the head on my shoulders
To the soles of my shoes
Somebody someone comin’ through

From the soul ‘bove my shoulders
To the soles of my shoes
Somebody someone comin’ through

La da da da da da da da da!
Da da da da la la la la da da (x2)

לֹא בָאֵשׁ יְהוָה; וְאַחַר הָאֵשׁ, קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה
But Adonai was not in the fire
And after the fire a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12)

“Spiritual Vandals” by Alden Solovy
At the gates of an ancient city
A spiritual vandal cracked into my heart.
Stunned,
Expecting the blood of my grief and shame
To sizzle on the hot stone,
Ready to shout,
‘How dare you touch that sacred place,’
I saw a river of light flowing through me.
Starlight. Moonlight. Sunlight. Your light. My light.
Light from the moment of creation.
So much radiance and glory.
Suddenly on my knees,
My forehead on the pilgrim’s path,
I wept.

Now I wait at the gates
For you.
To invite you close,
To let me see the fissure in your heart
Ready to burst,
To touch it with love,
To crack you open
So that you can see the majesty and the beauty
That flows through us all.

Listen,
Dear sisters, dear brothers:
Do not fear the vandals who guard
The gates of mercy.
For mercy is love,
And love is light,
And light seeks light,
And these angels only want to show
That it’s been inside you
All along.

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Postscript: Remember to register in advance here. You’re also invited to join my Six-Word Prayer Facebook page, and my daily gratitude Facebook page called “Grateful Heart, Joyous Soul, Precious Life.” Thanks again to Ritualwell.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and my two CCAR Press books: This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings 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. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter.

Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic

Posted on: March 4th, 2020 by Alden

This is a new prayer for safe travel, incorporating the perils of modern life with classic language of t’filat haderech, the traveler’s prayer. It’s my third prayer related to the outbreak of coronavirus. The first,”Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists,” was included in a Central Conference of American Rabbis rapid response liturgy packet, which got me thinking about prayers that might be missing from the packet. I then wrote “Healing from Coronavirus” which was subsequently added. This morning, the idea of a revised traveler’s woke me. This is what I wrote.

Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic
May it be Your will,
Our G-d,
G-d of our fathers and mothers,
That we journey in peace
And return in peace,
Safe from the ancient hazards of travel –
Enemies, thieves, ambushes and wild beasts –
And safe from modern perils –
Plane crashes and traffic wrecks,
Scammers and con artists,
Infectious disease and quarantine –
So that our travel serves it highest purpose,
And we reach our destination and return home
In joy, life and health.
Grant us grace in Your eyes
And in the eyes of all whom we meet.

.ברוך אתה ה’, שומע תפלה
Baruch atah Adonai, sho’me’a t’fila.
Blessed are You Adonai, Who hears prayer.

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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.”

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Healing from Coronavirus

Posted on: March 3rd, 2020 by Alden

Here’s a prayer for those who’ve contracted or have been exposed to the coronavirus, including those who might contract the disease in the future. See also: “Coronavirus: A Prayer for Medical Scientists.”

Healing from Coronavirus
Source of healing,
Cast the light of health and well-being
On those who’ve been exposed to coronavirus,
Those who have contracted the disease,
And those — G-d forbid — who contract the disease in the future.
Bless them, protect them and bring them speedily to full recovery.
Bless all who are ill
With healing of body
Healing of soul
And healing of spirit.

.ברוך אתה ה’, מקור חיים
Baruch atah Adonai, m’kor chayim.
Blessed are You Adonai, Source of life.

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Photo Source: World Health Organization

Posts Tagged ‘healing’

Ministers of Earthly Blessings

One-by-One: A Prayer as the COVID Death Toll Mounts

Let’s Hike Together in Israel

Healing from Coronavirus: Hebrew and English

The Blessing of Faces: A Zoom Prayer

Sheltering in Place

On the Front Lines of the Pandemic

Shavua Tov Live! with Trisha, Devon and Alden

Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic

Healing from Coronavirus

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

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**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

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