Tag Archive for "health"

Posts Tagged ‘health’

Removing Life Support

Posted on: June 27th, 2023 by Alden

A difficult prayer for a difficult moment. In classic Jewish tradition, this prayer includes a request for forgiveness from the one who is near death by those who made the decision to remove life support. It is brief, by design, so as not to prolong the moment for anyone.

Removing Life Support
G-d of compassion,
With sorrow,
With love,
With hope defeated,
I/We say a last goodbye
To my/our _______________ (relationship)
Whom we cherished in life,
And whom we will mourn in death.

Grant him/her/them a perfect rest
Under Your canopy of peace
As medical professionals
Will soon remove life support.

O grievous moment,
O grievous hour,
Beloved _____________ (name or relationship)
Forgive me/us any wrongs
I/we may have done to you in this life,
And forgive me/us this last act of compassion,
Allowing your life and your suffering to end.

G-d of mercy,
May You grant hope in our days
And peace in our years.
As we mourn,
Accept this soul
To You
With love.

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Postscript: Thanks to my friend Rabbi Paul Kipnes for suggesting this piece.

Please check out These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah and my other CCAR Press volumes: This Grateful Heart, This Joyous Soul, and This Precious Life, which can also be purchased as the Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. 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.”

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For Those Who Endure Chronic Conditions

Posted on: March 28th, 2022 by Alden

This piece began with Georgia and Gary Freedman-Harvey who envisioned a community prayer for those — like their son Ezra — who live the trials and triumphs of chronic conditions. They envisioned a prayer that would uplift the community in support of one another, with the tone of healing for all, a prayer in which we might see ourselves holding each other with care and compassion. As members of Temple Beth El, San Pedro, CA, they approached Rabbi Cassi Kail with the idea, who brought it to me. Here’s what we created.

For Those Who Endure Chronic Conditions
God of our mothers and fathers,
Watch over all who
Live with genetic disorders,
Life-threatening medical conditions,
And chronic or degenerative diseases.
Bless them with endurance and resilience,
Fortitude and hope,
With opportunities to thrive and shine
Even as their conditions
Progress.
Watch over them,
Their families and friends,
Our community,
And all of humankind.

We pray
For the wisdom and insight
To see each member of our community
With clear eyes and an open heart,
As another human being,
A whole person
With hopes and dreams,
Proud of who they are,
Striving to be their best selves,
Struggling with this life,
And loving it, too,
As we all do.

Rock and Shelter,
Grant us all the ability
To see each other’s humanity clearly,
To cherish each other’s individuality,
To care deeply about one another,
To mourn our losses and
Celebrate our victories together,
So that we live, act, and pray
As one community
Of care and blessing.

.בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אלהינו מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמֵּכִין מִצְעֲדֵי גָֽבֶר
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, hameichin mitzadei gaver.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who strengthens our steps.

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Postscript: Thanks to Georgia and Gary Freedman-Harvey and Rabbi Cassi Kail for your faith in my work.

Please check out my CCAR Press Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. The individual books are: This Joyous Soul, This Grateful Heart, and This Precious Life. Here’s a link to my ELItalk, “Falling in Love with Prayer..” 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.

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

Photo Source: Access Health

Family Caregivers

Posted on: August 16th, 2021 by Alden

This is a prayer to be said on behalf of those family members and friends who have taken on the task of daily caregiving of another member of the family or a close friend, devoting their days and energy to the care of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, and other dear ones.

Family Caregivers
G-d of health and healing,
Bless our family and friends
Who have taken on the sacred task
Of giving care and comfort
To their loved ones,
Committing their time, energy, and physical labor
To the well-being of dear ones
At a time of immeasurable need.
Grant them wisdom and skill,
Compassion and dedication,
Energy and endurance,
As time passes and tasks increase.
Remind them to care for themselves,
And to nourish their own bodies and souls,
So easily forgotten in this time of need.

Source and Shelter,
Rock of life,
Bless all who dedicate themselves
To the care of others,
And bring lasting health and healing
To all in need.

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Postscript: Thanks to my friend Joel Africk for the idea for this prayer.

Please check out my CCAR Press Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. The individual books are: This Joyous Soul , This Grateful Heart, and This Precious Life. Here’s a link to my ELItalk, “Falling in Love with Prayer..” 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: CDC

For an Alcoholic or Addict

Posted on: June 7th, 2021 by Alden

A prayer to be said those suffering from alcoholism, addiction, or both. Optional language is in [brackets], with choices separated by a slash (“/”). This prayer and three others on addiction and mental illness appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. A list of many of my related prayers can be found in the postscript at the end of this post.

For an Alcoholic or Addict
G-d of Old,
I call out to You
From the depths of despair.
My [father/mother/sister/brother/son/daughter/friend/husband/wife/partner/loved-one]
Suffers from the disease of [alcoholism / addiction / alcoholism and addiction,]
[Compounded by mental illness,]
Causing emotional, spiritual, and physical self-harm.
I am afraid and ashamed.
I am sad and lost.
The disease is powerful.
The possibilities are frightening.

G-d of health and well-being,
Teach me to care for myself
In the midst of crisis and chaos.
Teach me to bring love and kindness into my day,
Serenity and perspective into my life,
Especially when I feel hopeless or lost.
Teach me to trust Your will.

G-d of healing,
Bring my loved-one,
In mercy,
To recovery.
Show Your awesome works
And Your marvelous ways.
Grant healing of body
And healing of spirit.
Grant relief to all who suffer from alcoholism or addiction
So that they may become
Living reflections of Your divine gifts
And Your healing power.

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

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Postscript: My wife Ami z”l died of her alcoholism 12 years ago. It might have been suicide. We’ll never know. See also: “My Depression,” “Mental Illness,” “Cutting: A Prayer to End Self-Mutilation,” “My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds,” “These Troubled Children,” “Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner,” “My Child’s Suicide Attempt,” “Yizkor after My Child’s Suicide,” and “Yizkor after a Suicide.”

Please check out my CCAR Press Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. The individual books are: This Joyous Soul , This Grateful Heart, and This Precious Life. Here’s a link to my ELItalk, “Falling in Love with Prayer..” 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: Canyon Vista Recovery Center

A Jewish Cleric’s Meditation for Self-Care

Posted on: July 2nd, 2020 by Alden

In what now seems like a premonition, Fall 2019 edition of The Reform Jewish Quarterly was dedicated to spiritual and mental wellness, including self-care in times of trauma. The Central Conference of American Rabbis asked me to contribute to the edition. As Jewish clergy and educators begin new jobs and reaffirm their current positions, here’s a prayer reminder that we — your congregants, your flock, your choir, your friends — need you to take care of yourselves, especially in these difficult times. A link to download the prayer from the Journal the follows the text.

A Jewish Cleric’s Meditation for Self-Care
God of our mothers and fathers,
My life is dedicated to the Jewish people,
According to Your will,
To expand Torah and mitzvot in the world,
Keeping watch over this generation,
In service to Your Holy Name.

Source and Shelter,
Grant me the wisdom to care for myself
As I strive to do Your work,
Accounting for my own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs,
Day by day,
Which I can so easily neglect
In my zeal to fulfill this sacred calling.

Renewed, refreshed, and revitalized,
May I come back to this holy work
With a greater sense of wholeness
And a richer sense of peace,
Aware of the gifts You have bestowed upon me,
And the limitations of my strength and endurance.

Let my eyes sparkle with blessings.
Let my voice resound with truth.
Let my life reflect Your everlasting love.
Let me be a vital and worthy servant of Your Word.

A Jewish Cleric’s Meditation for Self-Care

1 file(s) 62.96 KB

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Postscript: This prayer first appeared the Reform Jewish Quarterly, CCAR Journal Fall 2019.

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.

Photo Source: Life Right Now

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:

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.

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.

Pervasive Peace

Posted on: March 13th, 2020 by Alden

In these difficult times, this one line captures my simplest yet deepest prayer for us all. With so much healing needed, our prayers must rattle the gates of heaven. But sometimes, one line, recited from the heart, is enough.

Pervasive Peace

May it be Your will, G-d of our fathers and mothers,
That the year ahead brings a pervasive and complete peace
On all inhabitants of the earth,
Beyond all dreams of humanity.

,יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ, אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ וְאִמּוֹתֵֽינוּ
שֶׁהַשָּׁנָה הַבָּאָה תָּבִיא שָׁלוֹם מֻחְלָט וְשָׁלֵם
,עַל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל
.מֵעֵֽבֶר לְכָל־חֲלֹמוֹת־הָאֱנוֹשׁוּת

Y’hi ratzon mil’fanecha, Elohei avoteinu v’imoteinu,
Shehashanah haba-ah tavi shalom muchlat v’shaleim
Al kol yosh’vei teiveil,
Mei-ever l’chol chalomot ha-enoshut.

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Postscript: I originally wrote this as a prayer for 5780, but I’m reposting it now in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Photo by Alden Solovy

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

Posts Tagged ‘health’

Removing Life Support

For Those Who Endure Chronic Conditions

Family Caregivers

For an Alcoholic or Addict

A Jewish Cleric’s Meditation for Self-Care

A Jewish Cleric’s Meditation for Self-Care

Ministers of Earthly Blessings

Healing from Coronavirus: Hebrew and English

On the Front Lines of the Pandemic

Pervasive Peace

Traveler’s Prayer in a Time of Pandemic

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