Tag Archive for "loss" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘loss’

Hospice Prayers

Posted on: November 16th, 2011 by tobendlight

My family now has three cousins in hospice care, at various stages of disease. Thank you to all the professionals and volunteers who make hospice work. This prayer is to be said by someone entering hospice. A second version of this prayer – one to be said on behalf of an individual who enters hospice treatment – follows below. Also find links to healing prayers and meditations on dying at the end of this post.

Upon Entering Hospice
(To be recited by a person entering hospice care.)

G-d of All Being,
The well of cures has run dry.
My physicians have been focused,
My caregivers diligent,
My family tireless
In their efforts to help me battle this disease.
The horizon of my life nears.
There is a single destination.

Ancient One,
G-d of our mothers,
G-d of our fathers,
I surrender my days to You,
As I must,
With the hopes of a dignified death,
A loving death
An easy death.
I make this choice for my own sake,
For the sake of my family and friends,
And for the sake of honoring the life You have given me.

Bless those around me with courage and strength,
Just as I ask You, Holy One,
To grant me the wisdom and ability
To show them my steadfast love,
An inheritance for the generations.

Whatever remains,
The journey hasn’t ended.
Ease my pain.
Reduce my suffering.
And bless me, G-d of my heart,
With days of joy,
With fullness of spirit
With moments of awe and wonder.

Upon Entering Hospice II
(To be recited on behalf of a person entering hospice care.)

G-d of All Being,
The well of cures has run dry.
The physicians have been focused,
The caregivers diligent,
The family tireless
In their efforts to help
My [father / mother / sister / brother / son / daughter / friend /husband / wife / partner]
Battle this disease.
The horizon of his/her life nears.
There is a single destination.

Ancient One,
G-d of our mothers,
G-d of our fathers,
Look with kindness and favor on _________________________ (insert name)
As he/she surrenders his/her days to You.

Bless us with courage and strength,
Just as I ask You, Holy One,
To grant me the wisdom and ability
To show him/her my steadfast love,
An inheritance for the generations.

Whatever remains,
The journey hasn’t ended.
Ease his/her pain.
Reduce his/her suffering.
And bless him/her with a dignified death,
A loving death
An easy death.

Postscript: Here are three meditations on the end of life:

Near the End: A Meditation – A meditation on preparing for the journey of my own death with grace and dignity, awe and wonder.
Remember – Whatever our fears, this is a call back to our deepest sense of peace and well-being.
Things Break – We face the flow of endings and beginnings. G-d’s love remains.

Click this link for a list of healing prayers.

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Photo Source: Here Women Talk

Memorial and Yizkor Prayers

Posted on: September 4th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers — as well meditations and prayers on grief and mourning — with brief descriptions and links to each prayer. Some are written in the form of traditional yizkor prayers and focus on classic themes of mourning. Others address modern social issues, such as organ donation and death by violence. Here’s a link to prayers for Yom HaShoah. To read a particular prayer, click on the title.

Yizkor Prayers

In Memory of an Organ Donor – For an organ donor
At the Hand of Violence – For one who dies by violence
Yizkor for a Lone Soldier – For a Lone Soldier in the IDF
After a Sudden Death – When death comes out of the blue
At the Hand of Anti-Semitism – For those who die as the result of anti-Semitism
Yizkor for First Responders – To be said for first responders, particularly those died in the line of duty; part of “A Liturgy for 9-11”

Memorial Prayers

On Lighting a Memorial Candle – A meditation
At the Hand of Terror – For all who died as a result of 9-11
Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders – For 9-11 first responders
At the Hand of Terror II – A 9-11 memorial
In Memorium: Sandy Hook – A memorial prayer
For the Children of Newtown – For victims and survivors
After a Deadly Anti-Semetic Attack – A memorial prayer
Bombing at the Boston Marathon – For victims and survivors
Munich Massacre Memorial Prayer – A memorial
The Soldiers on this Mountain – Har Hertzl welcomes new heroes

Grief

After Shiva – For healing in the quiet after a shiva ends
For the Bereaved – A prayer for healing from grief after a death
For Bereaved Children – For children facing a loved-one’s death
Meditation on the Burial of a Young Child – A moment of sorrow
This Wound – Seeking G-d’s help to heal
Shall I Cry? – Love is a thing of this earth
For Healing the Spirit – A call to heal
Regarding Old Wounds – Let go of the past
R’fuat HaNefesh – Healing the soul
Private Meditation of the Death of a Beloved Public Figure – For scholars, teachers and others

Meditations Near the End of Life

Near the End: A Meditation – On reaching the end
Angel of Rest – When the angel of death arrives
Things Break – On the fragility of life
Every Beginning – Every beginning brings an ending
Dwelling Place – This is my dying place
Gather Me – My bones will not be left behind
Season of Sorrow – A season for every emotion
On the Journey to My Child’s Passing – A parent’s prayer

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.

At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer

Posted on: September 3rd, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a 9-11 yizkor prayer to be said in memory of a specific individual. This prayer has also been adapted into a general memorial prayer for all of those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. Both prayers are part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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 in Hebrew or your native tongue),
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.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11,” which does not have audio. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

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: Boldly Go Solo photo of the 9/11 Living Memorial in Israel, a billowing American flag, partly surrounded on its circular plaza by the names of the more than 3,000 people who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The waving flag is meant to resemble an eternal flame. Israel is the only country outside the U.S. that memorializes the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. It is outside of Jerusalem.

Response to 9-11 Prayers

Posted on: August 18th, 2011 by tobendlight

The response to “A Liturgy for 9-11” has been amazing. In the period leading up to the 10th anniversary of the attack, these prayers were read more than 3,200 times. Also:

Sacred Journey, a quarterly magazine published by Fellowship in Prayer, created a “spiritual practice” for its readers based on my “bending light” analogy and the prayer “For 9-11 Survivors.” In the summer edition, the editors ask that on 9-11 readers: light a candle, say this prayer and do an act of intentional kindness.
Odyssey Networks, the nation’s largest multi-faith media coalition, produced a video of the same prayer, “For 9-11 Survivors,” which appeared on a special 9-11 anniversary channel on its Call on Faith mobile application.
The Lookstein Center for Jewish Education of the School of Education at Bar-Ilan University included a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11” appears on a list of resources for Jewish educators.
A blog by Congregational Resource Guide included these prayers as a link in a posting called “September 11, A Decade On.”
The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia included my 9-11 liturgy on a resources page.
The General Board of the United Methodist Church included the 9-11 Liturgy on a resources page. So did the church’s Baltimore-Washington Conference.
The Union for Reform Judaism posted these prayers on it’s website among the 9-11 resources.
Worship communities from across the U.S. contacted me asking for permission to reprint these prayers for congregational use.

In thinking about the original liturgy, I also make some changes. For public commemorations, I revised the two yizkor prayers to create memorial prayers. They are: “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.” I also reposted the prayers individually with audio, including: “To the Terrorist: A 9-11 Prayer,” “For 9-11 Survivors,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

Thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Ph.D., the editor HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad, who asked me to write a set of 9-11 prayers as resources for clergy. Thank you for inviting me into your prayer lives and for allowing me to share these offerings.

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.

At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer

Posted on: August 14th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. It’s adapted from a prayer that is part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” The original prayer, “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer,” was written to be said in memory of an individual. This provides a general memorial prayer for use in communal worship. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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.

Postscript: I’ve adapted another prayer for communal worship, resulting in a “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.” Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11,” which does not have audio. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror: A 9-11 Yizkor Prayer.”

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.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders

Posted on: August 10th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a memorial prayer for first responders to the 9-11 attacks. It’s modified from “Yizkor for First Responders,” a prayer that I posted as part of “A Liturgy for 9-11.” This differs from the original prayer in three ways: i) the original was written to be said for an individual first responder, while this is for all first responders; ii) the original is adaptable to any event claiming the life of a first responder, while this is specific to 9-11; and iii) the original was written for private prayer, while this is written for communal worship. This appears in my new book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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 United 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.

Postscript: Here’s a link to “A Liturgy for 9-11‘” Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist” and “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer.”

Source: Wikimedia Commons

For the Women of Congo and Sudan

Posted on: August 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is the result of a collaboration with my friend Rabbi Paul Kipnes. When Jewish World Watch asked Paul to write a prayer “For the Women of Congo and Sudan,” he asked me if he could adapt language from two of my prayers. Paul used pieces of both prayers and added his own words and a line of Hebrew. Then, we tweaked it together. The entire High Holiday booklet is available on the JWW site. It’s a lovely piece.

For the Women of Congo and Sudan
G-d of the survivors, mourners and witnesses,

Grant strength to those still held by physical, emotional and spiritual distress from the continuing violence in Congo and Sudan. Release them from visions of rape and death, from guilt or shame, from fear or anger. Bind their wounds with Your steadfast love.

Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
Devotion to each other.

Bless those who have healed.
Bless those who suffer.

Bless those who forgive.
Bless those who cannot forgive.

Bless those who speak.
Bless those who stay silent.

Baruch Atah, Tzur Yisrael, Oseh tikvah v’nechamah.
Blessed are You, Rock of Israel, Source of hope and comfort.

The prayer is adapted with permission by Rabbi Paul Kipnes from two prayers by Alden Solovy: For the People of Norway and For 9-11 Survivors, which are © 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: As a writer, I’m honored that Paul sees something in my words that resonates for him. I am also pleased that he respected my copyright, asked for permission to both adapt my work and to publish the resulting prayer. It also appears on his blog Or Am I? See also, “Against Human Trafficking,” “Against Tyranny” and “Against Poverty.”

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.

To the Terrorist: A 9-11 Prayer

Posted on: August 2nd, 2011 by tobendlight

Is it possible to say a prayer on behalf of a terrorist? I asked that question as I wrote “A Liturgy for 9-11.” Here’s my answer. To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. Here are links to “For 9-11 Survivors” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders” with audio.

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.

Postscript: Read the entire “Liturgy for 9-11,” including an overview of concerns that emerged in developing these prayers. It includes suggestions for other prayers that fit well with the themes of 9-11. It was written for the HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad. Here are links to individual posts of “For 9-11 Survivors” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders,” including audio.

For 9-11 Survivors

Posted on: July 30th, 2011 by tobendlight

In late April I published “A Liturgy for 9-11” written for the HUC-JIR continuing education blog Tzeh U’limad to provide clergy with resources for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the attack, originally posted without audio. As promised, I am now reposting these prayers individually with audio. To listen, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

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.

Postscript: Click here to read the entire “A Liturgy for 9-11,” including an overview of concerns that emerged in developing these prayers. It also includes suggestions for other prayers that fit with the themes of 9-11. Here are links to individual 9-11 prayers with audio: “For 9-11 Survivors,” “To the Terrorist,” “At the Hand of Terror II: A 9-11 Memorial Prayer” and “Memorial Prayer for 9-11 First Responders.”

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.

Prayer for the People of Norway

Posted on: July 24th, 2011 by tobendlight

On July 22, 2011, a brutal bombing attack and shooting spree rocked Norway. On April 16, 2011, the killer went on trial in Oslo. This prayer was written in the days after the violence. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the People of Norway
Author of life,
Man has turned violent,
Cutting down youth in Utoya, Norway,
Our children,
Future leaders,
Brothers and sisters,
Crushing lives,
Upending dreams,
Attacking hope for tomorrow.

Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of murder in Utoya
Whose lives were cut off by violence,
An act of witless aggression.
Remember the survivors of this horror,
And the victims of any disaster,
Any violence, suffering or despair.
Grant them shelter and solace,
Comfort and consolation,
Blessing and renewal.
Grant them endurance to survive,
Strength to rebuild,
Faith to mourn,
Courage to heal,
And devotion to each other.

Heavenly Guide,
Hand of love and shelter,
Put an end to anger, hatred and fear,
And lead us to a time when no one will suffer at the hand of another.
Grant the people of Norway Your protection,
Your wholeness and healing,
And Your peace.

Postscript: This is an adaptation of a prayer I wrote in response to recent attacks in Mumbai, which was based on two of my other prayers, “At the Hand of Violence” and “In Devastation.” You’ll also find related prayers in my “Liturgy for 9-11.”

Ask others to pray for the people of Norway: post a link to this prayer to your Facebook page, your blog or as part of a tweet. Please subscribe. For reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” Thanks.