Tag Archive for "hope" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘hope’

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.

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.” Please consider purchasing my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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

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Source: WikiMedia Commons

War on Yom Kippur, 40 Years Later

Posted on: September 12th, 2013 by tobendlight

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, a surprise attack on two major fronts on the holiest day of the Jewish year. Here’s a two-prayer liturgy of hope and honor. The first is for the safety of soldiers currently serving in the IDF, including a memorial to Israeli soldiers of the past and a recognition that Israel will need heroes for the future. It’s an adaptation of a prayer I wrote during Operation Pillar of Defense for safety of Israeli soldiers. The second is a prayer for all soldiers and veterans, envisioning a time when, with G-d’s blessings, we will no longer need soldiers to defend our freedom. Click here for more prayers and meditations about Israel.

For the Soldiers of the IDF
Rock of Israel,
Our sons and daughters,
Our brothers and sisters,
Our family and friends,
Have been called to serve,
In the name of peace and justice,
In the name of sovereignty and survival,
To defend and to protect our land
From violence and assault,
From kidnappers and terrorists,
From missile and mortar,
From those who would destroy our nation and our people.

We stand with the defenders of Israel.
We honor the guardians of Zion.
We hold dear the sentries of Am Kadosh.

G-d of Old,
We know the price of safety,
We know the cost of security.
Bless the injured and wounded
In every generation
With Your healing hand.
Bless the dead and the bereaved
With Your love and consolation.
Bless the heroes of our past
And the heroes of the future
With a share in the world to come.

Source of Peace,
Keep our soldiers safe,
And let our soldiers keep us safe,
So that they return in life and in health
To the loving arms of our people.

The Last Soldier
When the last soldier passes on,
When armies are disbanded and militias discharged,
When weapons are abandoned and armor discarded,
Your mission will, at last, be over.

For you know the soldier’s secret.
Yours was not a mission of war
Nor a mission of ruin.
Yours was not a mission of destruction
Nor a mission of death.
Your mission was safety, security, protection.
Your mission was honor, loyalty, service.
Your mission was to end violence, tyranny, despair.

When the last soldier passes on,
When the uniforms are retired and the final grave filled,
We will remember all who served and sacrificed for our nation.

Until then G-d of Old,
Watch over our soldiers and our veterans.
Renew their courage.
Rebuild their strength.
Heal their wounds.
Bind their hearts with Your steadfast love.
Remember them,
Bless them,
Sustain them,
And give them peace.

Postscript: Here’s a link to a prayer “For Peace in the Middle East,” as well as a link to more prayers for Israel. One of my favorites is “Israel: A Meditation.”

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Photo Credit: IDF Photo released to Wikimedia Commons

Yom Kippur 5774

Posted on: September 8th, 2013 by tobendlight

Yom Kippur. A day of prayer. Of fasting. Of repentance. It can be deadly dull, hour after hour, year after year. Yet, I’ve experienced moments that have taken my breath away. These experiences went far beyond a deep connection with prayer. They shifted my relationship to G-d and my understanding of myself. They also inform my work as a poet and liturgist. I wrote about them in the Times of Israel, in an essay titled “Cry No More: Three Prayers, Two Visions and a Fire.” I invite you to read it as part of you Yom Kippur preparation.

Here’s a link to an annotated list of all of my Yom Kippur prayers. This year my “go to” prayer is “The Path of Righteousness.”

May you be inscribed for a year of health and happiness, awe and wonder, prosperity and peace.

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Photo Source: Getty Images/Steve Allen

Resources for 9/11

Posted on: September 7th, 2013 by tobendlight

Individuals and clergy members continue to look for meaningful prayers and meditations to use to commemorate the attacks of September 11, 2001. Here’s an annotated list of prayers suitable for public and private memorials, including “A Liturgy for 9-11,” written for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the U.S. Please email this page to anyone who may be in need of a memorial prayer or a prayer for healing.

Memorial Prayers

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer – A memorial prayer to be said for specific victims
At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer – A general memorial prayer to be said for all victims
Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders – To honor the fallen first responders
At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer – A memorial all who died by violence

For Survivors

For 9-11 Survivors – For healing 9/11 survivors
For Terror Survivors – For healing terror survivors
For Bereaved Children – For healing children who’ve lost parents
For the Bereaved – For healing all who are bereaved

Prayers for a Better World

For First Responders – For the safety of all first responders
To the Terrorist – For the terrorist to find a new path
Against Tyranny – A prayer against oppressive regimes

The original four prayers in “A Liturgy for 9-11” were written to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attack. See that post to read the story of how and why I wrote these prayers. The response to the original post was overwhelming. Here’s a link to an overview of some of the ways these prayers were used as part of 10th commemoration activities.

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Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons, the “Tribute in Light” memorial is composed of two banks of high wattage spotlights that point straight up from a lot next to Ground Zero. The photo was taken from Liberty State Park, N.J., on the five-year anniversary of 9/11.

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

Quick Prayer on Waking

Posted on: July 11th, 2013 by tobendlight

This brief prayer borrows its intention and theology from modeh ami, the traditional Jewish prayer said immediately on waking up in the morning, echoes of which are heard in the second stanza. The prayer is another in my series of quick prayers. Here’s a related set of prayers called “Morning Blessings.”

Quick Prayer on Waking
G-d,
Grant me a gentle day,
A kind and a sweet day,
A day of light and breath,
A day of love and service.

Holy One,
Thank You for renewing me to life.
For restoring my soul to my body
And for returning me
In joy and gratitude
To Your gifts and blessings.

Postscript: See also: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon,” “Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk,” “Quick Meditation at Night” and “Quick Prayer for Healing.” Here’s a short, short story about saying morning blessings called “Bracha Simcha.”

Photo Source: Yellow Sunrise, Wikipedia

Memorial Prayer for First Responders

Posted on: July 1st, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for first responders, posted today for the fire fighters who lost their lives battling the Yarnell Hill fire. It’s group prayer for those who have lost their lives responding to specific emergencies. It’s modified from “Yizkor for First Responders,” a prayer for individual first responders that I first posted as part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” I previously posted a specific version of this prayer for 9/11 first responders. For those of you with family and friends who serve in this capacity, here’s a prayer “For First Responders” as they head off into service to others.

Memorial Prayer for First Responders
G-d of the selfless,
G-d of the strong and the brave,
Grant a perfect rest among the souls of the righteous
To those who died in service to others during the
_________________________________________________ [ add name of event such as: the 9/11 attacks, the Mount Carmel fire, the Yarnell fire, etc.].
May their dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of love
And the works of their hands bring us all merit in heaven.
Bless the souls of all who have died to save others,
Civilians and professionals,
The trained and the untrained,
In every age and in every land,
Men and women who answered the call of honor, duty and service.
May their memories be sanctified with joy and love.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11” and a prayer “For First Responders” as they head off into service to others.

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Photo Source: NOAA

For Physicians

Posted on: June 23rd, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a prayer of thanks for physicians. It’s from a set of prayers honoring clinicians and medical science. I’ve already posted a prayer “For Nurses” and a variety of prayers regarding organ donation, including “For Organ Donation” and “For Organ and Tissue Donation.” Future posts will include a prayer “For Medical Science.” This prayer appears in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For Physicians
G-d of Old,
We are flesh and blood,
Imbued with Your divine spark,
Strong, but vulnerable.
You have blessed us with men and women
Who dedicate their lives to health and healing,
Preventing disease, reducing pain,
Prolonging lives, providing hope.

G-d of life,
Watch over our physicians –
And all who work in the healing professions –
As they serve us during times of health and
In the times of our deepest needs.
Bless their hands with kindness,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hearts with sincerity
And their souls with love,
So that they become
A fountain of healing.
Bless them with fortitude and strength.

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

Bless doctors throughout the world
With Your warmth and shelter,
Even as we bless them
With our eternal gratitude and love.

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Photo Source: UofL Physicians

For Nurses

Posted on: June 9th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a prayer of thanks for nurses. My family has been blessed by many. The prayer is from a set honoring clinicians and medical science, including several focused on organ donation, including “For Organ Donation” and “For Organ and Tissue Donation.” Future posts will include a prayer “For Physicians” and one “For Medical Science.” This prayer appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For Nurses
To those who dedicate their lives to compassion,
To those who dedicate their lives to care,
To those who hold our hearts and spirits dear:
Your work is a blessing,
Your days are a gift,
Your hours are a labor of holiness,
Your moments are a well of comfort.

G-d of life,
Watch over our nurses –
And all who work in the healing professions –
As they serve us in the times of our deepest needs.
Bless their hands with kindness,
Their eyes with courage,
Their hearts with sincerity
And their souls with love,
So that they become
A fountain of healing.
Bless them with fortitude and strength.
Grant them satisfaction and success at work,
And with joy and rest,
Security and peace in their lives.

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

Bless all who serve in the nursing professions
With Your warmth and shelter,
Even as we bless them
With our eternal gratitude and love.

Photo Source: Ginny Beeson & Associates

Rules for Being Me in Jerusalem

Posted on: April 28th, 2013 by tobendlight

This is a private meditation. That is, I don’t expect that it speaks fully to or for anyone but me. I wrote it several months ago, but it didn’t feel complete. The final thoughts came to me this morning during my run. I added three lines and rearranged the paragraphs. Some of these rules only apply to my life in Jerusalem; some only to my life in Israel. Perhaps this will change as the depth of my experience here grows.

So, if it’s private, why am I posting it? To encourage you to write your own “Rules for Being You” meditation. I’m glad that I finished this piece before Yom Yerushalayim, which is May 8, 2013.

Rules for Being Me in Jerusalem
Smile at everyone.
Or, at least, nod in their direction.
Some may even smile back.
Don’t take offense if someone
Simply looks away,
Or never makes eye contact.
They aren’t used to it.

Speak your truth,
But only when it adds love
Or a blessing to the world.
Live your truth always.
No matter what.

Before Shabbat,
Put a loaf of bread where
Someone needy can find it.
Say a quick prayer for abundance,
Yours and theirs.

Look at everyone as if you can see
Directly into their hearts.
Their hearts hold joy and grief and love.
Like yours.

See the best in everyone,
Even when someone chooses to show you their worst.

Smile at women with babies. And men.
Not for them, for you.
You are seeing the future,
And it is beautiful.

Say Shabbat Shalom to everyone,
Even men without kippot.
We all deserve rest and peace.

Breathe.
There is holiness in the air.
Malchut and Tiferet
Are within your grasp.

Postscript: If you write your own “Rules” meditation, please take a moment to share on this page what it was like to write it. See also: “Jerusalem: A Meditation” and other prayers about Israel.

Photo Credit: Alden Solovy

Posts Tagged ‘hope’

Before My Surgery

War on Yom Kippur, 40 Years Later

Yom Kippur 5774

Resources for 9/11

Memorial Prayers

For Survivors

Prayers for a Better World

For Medical Science

Quick Prayer on Waking

Memorial Prayer for First Responders

For Physicians

For Nurses

Rules for Being Me in Jerusalem

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