Tag Archive for "loss" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘loss’

To Hope Again

Posted on: March 6th, 2024 by Alden

A prayer poem about the pain of losing hope and the struggle to find hope again, turning to the most unexpected source of potential answers…those who were murdered in the shock and terror assault on Israel on October 7.

To Hope Again
My heart has abandoned this world,
To seek the lost who refuse
Entrance to heaven.

Yes, the innocent dead
Have refused their places
In the holy realms,
To fly on the wind,
To dwell among the stars,
To haunt the bloody earth
With messages of love and despair,
Beseeching comfort from the ancient deep
From which all life emerged.

My heart has abandoned this world,
Praying to learn from the innocent dead
How to hope again.

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Postscript: Here are some of my other prayer poems coming out of October 7 and the war: “Nothing Left but Tears,” “The Court of the Captives,” and “Tears and Rain.”

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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Photo by Alden Solovy

20 Years: A Liturgy for 9-11

Posted on: September 9th, 2021 by Alden

It’s been 20 years, and this anniversary of 9-11 falls on Shabbat Shuvah. Part of this liturgy was composed for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, and now includes newer prayers written to deepen the liturgy. Here’s a link to a video of “For 9-11 Survivors.”

For 9-11 Survivors
G-d of the survivor,
G-d of the mourner and the witness,
Grant solace and peace to those still held by physical, emotional and spiritual distress from the attacks of 9-11. Release them from visions of death and destruction, from guilt or shame, from fear or anger. Bind their wounds with Your steadfast love. Lift them on Your wings of kindness and grace.

Blessed are those who have found peace.
Blessed are those without tranquility.

Blessed are those who speak.
Blessed are those who stay silent.

Blessed are those who have healed.
Blessed are those who suffer.

Blessed are those who forgive.
Blessed are those who cannot forgive.

Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d, Source of strength for survivors of violence and tragedy in every land and in every age. Blessed are You, Rock of Israel, Source of hope and comfort.

To the Terrorist
You who would hold the sky captive,
The sea prisoner,
The land in chains…

You who hide in caves,
Retreat to the wilderness,
Disappear behind false names and forged papers…

You who smuggle guns and arms,
Hide rockets in cities and bombs in homes,
Build weapons against the innocent and the bystander…

You whose designs are destruction,
Whose plans are fear,
Whose joy is hate…

You who harden your hearts
And wrap yourselves in death…

What evil has robbed you of your love,
Your compassion,
Your goodness,
Your humanity?
What lies have invaded your minds
So that you choose to die in order to kill?

We who love our lives and liberty
Stand firm and strong against terror.
We will defend our nation and our people.
We will protect our land and our homes.
And we pray for you to find hope and comfort
In lives of peace.

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
My [ father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend ]
Who died [ in / during / because of ]
The 9-11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of his/her hands
And the message of his/her heart
Remember all those who were lost in the terror of that day.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
May the memory of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

____________________

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer
Creator of all,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To those who died in the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Remember the works of their hands
And the message of their hearts.
Grant their families peace and comfort for Your name’s sake
And for the sake of those who perished.
Bring an end to violence and terror,
Speedily, in our days.
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.

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 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 because of
The 9/11 attacks on the Unites States.
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.

____________________

Yizkor 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 ______________________ (name),
My [ father / mother / sister / brother / child / wife / dear one/ friend ]
Who died in service to others [ in / during / because of ]
_________________________________________________ [name of event such as:
[the 9/11 attacks on the Unites States, the Mount Carmel forest fire, etc.].
May his/her dedication to protecting life serve as a shining lamp of love
And the works of his/her 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 the memory of _____________________ be sanctified with joy and love.
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Other prayers that may be useful in tailoring a 9-11 commemoration to your community are:

“Against Tyranny” – A prayer against oppressive regimes
“At the Hand of Violence: A Yizkor Prayer” – For those who died by violence
“For Bereaved Children” – A prayer of mourning and hope for children who’ve lost parents
“For the Bereaved” – A prayer of mourning for all
“After Shiva” – When the shiva is over, what next?

Postscript: They original liturgy written at the request of Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., for the HUC-JIR publication Tzeh U’limad. Thanks to my sister Mara Lund for her insightful comments on drafts of these prayers.

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: WikiMedia Commons

For the U.S. Asian Community

Posted on: March 18th, 2021 by Alden

In Atlanta, eight are dead after a killing spree centered on the Asian American community, as the number of hate crimes against that community continue to rise. This hits home, and I fear for my cousins in New York and Los Angeles. Here’s a Yizkor prayer to be said for an individual killed “At the Hand of Violence.”

For the U.S. Asian Community
Oh people of conscience,
Cry out.
Cry out against hatred and anger.
Cry out against violence and oppression.
Cry out against the rising tide of brutality against
Our Asian American brothers and sisters.

Author of life,
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under Your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the massacre
In Atlanta, Georgia,
Whose lives were cut off by violence
In a rampage of aggression beyond understanding.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

G-d of justice and mercy,
Remember the survivors and witnesses of this attack,
Witnesses to shock, horror and dismay.
Ease their suffering and release their trauma
So that they recover lives of joy and wonder.
Grant them Your shelter and solace,
Blessing and renewal.

Look with favor, G-d of love,
Upon Asian American communities throughout the land,
And all communities targeted for violence.
Grant them Your protection.
Remember them with comfort and consolation.
Bless them with wholeness and healing.

Heavenly Guide,
Put an end to anger, hatred, and fear,
And lead us to a time when
No one will suffer at the hand of another,
Speedily, in our day.

Postscript: This prayer borrows from two others, “After a Deadly Rampage” and “Racist Violence against Houses of Worship.” I have lost count of the number of prayers I’ve written after racist or gun violence. See: “Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17,” “Tree of Life, Pittsburgh,” “For the Children of Newtown,” “After the Washington Navy Yard Shootings,” and “Pride Wins: A Prayer after Homophobic Brutality.” All of my Psalms of Protest can be found here. Here’s a Yizkor prayer to be said for an individual killed “At the Hand of Violence.”

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.

Photo Source: Dawn

Prayer for the Jews of Germany

Posted on: October 11th, 2019 by Alden

A prayer for the Jews of Germany after the Yom Kippur attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany. This prayer incorporates a line added to the liturgy for the Aseret Yamai Teshuvah, the 10 Days of Repentance/Return. A line from the classic Yom Kippur liturgy: וכתב לחיים טובים כל בני בריתך, And write for a good life all the children of Your covenant. At Ne’ilah, the final service of the day, the line changes to וחתום לחיים טובים כל בני בריתך, “And seal for a good life all the children of Your covenant,” as it does at the end of this prayer.

For the Jews of Germany
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Attacking the heart of prayer
In Halle, Germany,
Murdering and wounding innocents
In the name of antisemitism,
With a passion for bloodshed
And the destruction of the Jewish people.

וכתב לחיים טובים כל בני בריתך
And write, for a good life, all the children of Your covenant
Uc’tov l’chaim tovim kol b’nai britecha

To the traumatized in Halle,
We pray for healing,
For the Jews of Germany,
And all of the Jews of the world,
We pray for an end to antisemitism.
For the people of Germany,
And all of the people of the world,
We pray for shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.

וכתב לחיים טובים כל בני בריתך
And write, for a good life, all the children of Your covenant
Uc’tov l’chaim tovim kol b’nai britecha

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger and hatred,
Bigotry and fear,
And lead us to a time when no one
Suffers at the hand of another.

For the sake of our people,
And for the sake of Your Holy Name,
Grant the Jews of Germany Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

וחתום לחיים טובים כל בני בריתך
And seal, for a good life, all the children of Your covenant
U’chatom l’chaim tovim kol b’nai britecha

Postscript: This is an adaptation of “For the Jews of France.”

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. Please take a moment to explore my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo credit: Associated Press

Dance in the Madness

Posted on: May 27th, 2018 by Alden

A song of the spiritual traveler about the dance between spiritual forces that uplift and those the can crush us. This is one of just a handful of my pieces that rhyme, including “Come Walk,” another song of the spiritual traveler.

Dance in the Madness
Joy is a bird that lifts you in flight.
Prayer is a beacon that pierces the night.
Faith is a prism that opens the light.
G-d is the answer of joy and delight.

Fear comes calling, a poisonous art.
Judgement, a knife that cuts you apart.
Sorrow, a clamp that crushes the heart.
Loneliness threatens to never depart.

On this journey, it’s certain, one thing is true,
Both joy and sorrow sit next to you
So dance in the madness,
There is nothing new,
And love everyone who is dear to you.

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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: Dale Robbinete/Lionsgate

For Those Who Die Young

Posted on: April 27th, 2018 by Alden

Ten. Ten dead young people are dead who shouldn’t be. A hiking tragedy in the land I love, in the canyons that I hike, led by adults who should have known better than to be there on a day when flash floods were predicted. In several separate incidents, five others were also lost in floods. We mourn them all. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

For Those Who Die Young
G-d of secrets,
G-d of my heart,
Source and shelter,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
My _____________________ (relationship),
Whose life was cut off too soon.
Help us to remember his / her wisdom, talents and skills,
The joy, laughter, and tears,
And our moments together.
Let these memories continue to bless us
Even as we pray for him / her to find peace
In the world-to-come.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

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Photo Source: Facebook

Travel after an Unexpected Death

Posted on: July 2nd, 2017 by Alden

This is a prayer to be said upon traveling to attend a funeral after an unexpected death. The blank line is for inserting the name of the deceased. This appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

Travel After an Unexpected Death
Today,
God of Old,
Is a day I never imagined
And never prepared to face.

God of the bereaved,
Bless us as we come together
At this moment of desolation and despair.
Give me the presence of mind
To be a source of wisdom and strength
In this hour of need.
Bless my/our family with consolation and endurance,
Comfort and peace.

God of old,
Bless the soul of __________________________ (full name).
May his/her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: See also, “Travel to an Unexpected Family Emergency.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

For Manchester and England

Posted on: May 23rd, 2017 by Alden

This is prayer of hope and courage for the victims of the terrorist attack in Manchester. It’s based on a memorial prayer that I wrote for the 7 July London bombings. This prayer refers to that attack, as well as the recent attack at Westminster. Here’s a link to the original prayer “For the People of London.”

For Manchester and England
Author of life,
Grant peace and consolation
To the victims and the injured
After the attack in Manchester,
Where youths, teens and their parents were murdered
In an act of calculated terror.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of this attack,
Whose lives were cut off
In an act of witless aggression.
May their souls be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.
May they rest in peace.

Remember the survivors of this horror.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and courage.
May their healing —
And the healing of this nation —
Continue with devotion and courage.

We also remember the victims
And survivors of the 7/7 and Westminster attacks,
Praying for their souls and their healing.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger and hatred,
Bigotry and fear.
Let terrorists put down their weapons
To discover a new path.
May the victims of all violence
Find hope and renewal.
Lead us to a time when no one
Suffers or dies at the hand of another.

,עוֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו, הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵינוּ
וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל, וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן

Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleinu,
V’al kol Yisraeil, v’al kol yosh’vei teivel, V’imru, Amen.

May the One who creates harmony above, make peace for us,
For all Israel, and all who dwell on earth. And say: Amen.

Postscript: Here’s my “Liturgy after Terror Attacks.”

Photo credit: Times of Israel

Attack at Westminster: For London and England

Posted on: March 23rd, 2017 by Alden

This is prayer of hope and courage for the victims of the terrorist attack at Westminster. It’s based on a memorial prayer that I wrote for the 7 July London bombings. Here’s a link to the original prayer “For the People of London.”

Attack at Westminster: For London and England
Author of life,
Grant peace and consolation
To the victims and the injured
After the attack at Westminster,
Where the heart of a democratic nation was attacked
In an act of calculated terror.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of this attack,
Whose lives were cut off
In an act of witless aggression.
Remember the survivors of this horror.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and courage.
May their healing —
And the healing of this nation —
Continue with devotion and courage.
We also remember the victims
And survivors of the 7/7 attack,
Praying for their souls and their healing.

Postscript: Here’s my “Liturgy after Terror Attacks.”

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 credit: WikiMedia Commons. The photo is from the 7/7 attack.

15 Years: A Liturgy for 9-11

Posted on: September 7th, 2016 by Alden

It’s been 15 years. This is a 9-11 liturgy composed for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, including newer prayers written to deepen the liturgy. They were written at the request of HUC-JIR’s Tzeh U’limad editor Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D. Here’s a link to a video of “For 9-11 Survivors.”