Tag Archive for "love" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘love’

Quick Blessing for a Past Love

Posted on: December 30th, 2015 by Alden

In my single life, before and after my marriage to Ami z”l, I’ve been blessed with the company of women who’ve loved deeply, women who have been sources of strength and inspiration. Sometimes I wonder how they’re doing, if they’re happy and contented, and I send a brief blessing out into the world. This blessing for a past love appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Quick Blessing for a Past Love
Light from my past,
You were once the joy of my present
And the hope of our future.
I remember you with affection
And pray that you have found
Joy and contentment,
Prosperity and peace.
Your loving heart and your gentle hand
Remain a source of quiet warmth
Even as the rhythm of our lives
Move in separate directions.
May you dwell in the tent of health and happiness
Secure in a life of friendship and love
Rejoicing in a life of awe and wonder.

Postscript: There are eight prayers of love and friendship in my book Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing which can be ordered here. This is one of 16 “Quick Prayers.” Click here for the full list.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: Pray for someone who you once loved: “Quick Prayer for a Past Love” http://bit.ly/1Vp3x6u New from @ToBendLight

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Photo Source: QuotesGram

Faith to Pray

Posted on: December 15th, 2015 by Alden

What does it mean to pray, knowing that our prayers may not be answered? People fall ill. Friends die. Bad things happen to good people. This new prayer about prayer is part of my answer. Careful readers will note that, taken together, the three stanzas allude to the V’havta paragraph of the Shema: “And thou shalt love Adonai your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deut. 6:5)

Faith to Pray
Grant me willingness,
G-d of old,
To pray with my whole heart,
Knowing that You will not
Grant my every hope,
Nor change the nature of the universe
To fulfill my deepest desires.

Grant me faith,
G-d of compassion,
To pray with my entire soul,
Understanding Your promise
To hear our songs and prayers,
Trusting that those prayers
Bring a measure of holiness into the world,
Whether or not I see it or feel it,
As surely as hatred and violence
Pushes holiness away.

Grant me courage,
G-d of mercy,
To pray with all of my might,
Turning those prayers into actions,
Using my strength in service to tikun olam,
To work with dedication on repairing the world,
So that my prayers become blessings,
And my days become a beacon of light and love.

Postscript: Thanks to my friend Cantor Sheri Allen, Congregation Beth Shalom, Arlington, Texas, for the conversation that led to this prayer. It is one of several prayers about prayer, including: “For Prayer,” “Prayer Released,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer,” “To Pray” and “All Returns to Prayer.” I’ve also written a prayer “Before Writing a Prayer” and one for “After Writing a Prayer.”

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Grant me faith, G-d of compassion, to pray with my entire soul…” From “Faith to Pray” from @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=13912

Photo Source: Church of the Living G-d

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing

Posted on: October 11th, 2015 by Alden

Your prayer lifts mine. My prayer lifts yours. But what happens when there’s no “lift” left in my own prayer? Does my prayer weigh your prayer down? Does my prayer become a burden? Not if you lend me your prayer with mercy and love. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing
Let my soul rise
On the wings of your prayer.
My heart, heavy.
My voice, tired.
My strength, fleeting.
My breath, shallow.
My sight, obscured.

Your voice dazzles,
Filling the space with radiance and majesty.
A sacred melody.
A call of the ages.
An echo of eternity.
A pulse of holiness.
A harmony of light.

Let my yearning ascend
On the rhythm of your song.
Let my hope soar
On the music of your words.
Lend me your courage and your thunder.
And when we reach the gates of heaven,
I will be witness to your mercy and love.

Postscript: Prayers about prayer is a recurring theme in my work, including: “Invitations,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer,” “Prayer for You, Prayer for Me” and “Prayer with Wings.”

Photo Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

Ekev: Come, Rain

Posted on: August 6th, 2015 by Alden

The middle paragraph of the Shema comes from this week’s Torah portion, Ekev, which says that rain is a reward for our love and service to G-d. This meditation is on the blessing of rain. I wrote it on a sleepless night in a one-man tent during a rainstorm at a campground overlooking the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press. To listen while you read, click the triangle in the bar below.

Come, Rain
Come, rain,
Pour forth
Upon this barren land,
Upon this barren heart.
The earth is dry,
My chest is withered
And love has fled
For more fertile ground.

Come, rain,
Pour forth
With abandon,
Fill the air with moisture,
Feed the ground with promise,
Let living water
Soak through me,
A gift of heaven,
A gift of holiness,
A fountain of glory,
A well of healing,
A source of power,
Pounding through my thirsty veins.

Postscript: My other prayers about rain include “For Rain,” “The Flood” and “About the Rainbow.” This prayer first appeared on this site on March 15, 2015.

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: Alden Solovy

Two Prayers by Teens

Posted on: August 4th, 2015 by Alden

Here are two prayers written at two different sessions of my teen writing workshop. We used the same process, but the conversations about prayer were much different. So were the results. Yesterday at NewCAJE6, I led an intensive teacher training called “Pray in Our Own Words: Generating Excitement for Prayer,” which included teaching the technique I use with teens to write a common prayer.

For a Better World
Acknowledge us, O God,
So we may know wisdom, strength, justice and kindness;
So we will witness the miracle of life, love and peace;
So that the doors of understanding open for us and for our children.
As we learn to fulfill our duties to you Adonai,
Rekindle the light of mitzvot
And protect us all.

‘Wowl-ing’ to God
God is the original superhero.
You are awesome, the deliverer of truth and faith.
You give us creativity, which is the opportunity to make all that is good and evil.
We thank, praise and sanctify your knowledge, light and change, forever.
Thank you for giving us all choices.
Thank you for the unique universe.
Help us long for the life, ability, soul, body and love
That makes our destiny beautiful and, most of all, ours.
Sanctity humus, the moon, the sun, and light.
Praise beauty, awe and wide double rainbows.
All love trees.
Let us ‘Wowl’ at the moon and rejoice in Your Awesomeness.

Postscript: If you’re interested in learning more about my workshops for adults and teens, please drop me an email at alden@tobendlight.com. ‘Wowl’ is a word the teens coined by combining the words ‘wow’ – as in ‘praise G-d’ – and ‘howl, as in howling at the moon. It means: ‘howling with spiritual intent to celebrate the beauty G-d put in this world.’

Tweetable! Here’a suggested tweet. Please tweet it (with link): Two awesome prayers written by teens at @tobendlight workshops:

Photo Source: Living a Life of Writing

Balak: Your Dwelling Place

Posted on: June 28th, 2015 by Alden

Ma Tovu is one of my favorite prayers. The opening line comes from this week’s Torah portion, Balak. Balak hires Bil’am to curse the people Israel, but instead he blesses them. The blessing includes this line, which opens Ma Tovu: “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings, O Israel!” [Numbers 24:5] According to rabbinic interpretation, the ‘tents’ are ‘tents of Torah’ and the ‘dwellings’ are synagogues. This prayer turns the metaphor once again, stating that our lives can be the dwelling place of G-d’s glory when we do the work of love and charity. Two lines from Ma Tovu, traditionally said upon entering a synagogue, frame the second stanza.

Your Dwelling Place
When I pray,
When I quiet my mind and open my heart,
I become a priest/priestess
In the house of God.

G-d,
I love Your house,
Your habitation,
The dwelling place of Your glory.
Let me serve You with my hands,
With the toil of healing the world,
With the labor of kindness and compassion.
And I will become Your abode
Of love and charity,
Of thanksgiving and peace,
Doing Your will in joy,
Rejoicing in Your work.
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
Thy dwellings, O Israel!

Let my life become a temple,
A sanctuary of praise and service,
And You will dwell
In me.

Postscript: Some of my other prayers that borrow quotes directly from the liturgy include: “Come, Beloved,” “Sephardi Quarter Note,” “Gathering: A Dream of Reunion” and “Affirmation of Faith.”

Let G-d

Posted on: May 21st, 2015 by Alden

This simple prayer is a reminder to invite G-d into our lives and to move in the direction of holiness. My other pieces using birds and flight as a metaphor include: “Soarbird,” “Bird is Bird” and “First Bird.”

Let G-d
Let G-d
Hold majesty before your eyes,
And mystery before your heart.

Let G-d
Place strength in your hands
And radiance in your soul.

Let G-d
Lead you to awe and wonder
And redeem you from fear and shame.

You are cloud and horizon,
A bird in solo flight,
Seeking your flock,
Seeking your journey,
Seeking your place.

Let G-d
Put healing in your hours
And rejoicing in all of your days.

Let G-d
Find you in the open sky
And lift you in joy and grace.

Postscript: You might also like “Fresh Delights” and “Unseen Lands.”

Photo Source: Island Real Estate

Entrances and Exits

Posted on: May 17th, 2015 by Alden

This is a new prayer about living in the best and the highest moments of our lives.

Entrances and Exits
This moment is an entrance:
An entrance to your breath,
An entrance to your heart,
An entrance to your journey,
An entrance to your destination.

This moment is an exit:
An exit from your solitude,
An exit from your fear,
An exit from your wounds,
An exit from your cage.

G-d of Old,
Open my eyes to the majesty
That surrounds us.
Grant me the courage
To enter this day
With wonder and amazement,
With enthusiasm and joy,
With strength and with hope.
Teach me to dance
In the direction of holiness.
Teach me to sail
In the direction of beauty.
Teach me to love
In the direction of wholeness and peace.

The world is Yours
In fullness and glory,
Given to us as a gift
So that we may rejoice
In the mysteries
Around us.

Postscript: See also: “Now.”

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Come, Rain

Posted on: March 15th, 2015 by Alden

This meditation is on the blessing of rain, which Torah says is a reward for our love of G-d. I wrote it sleepless in a one-man tent during a nighttime rainstorm at a campground overlooking the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Although the Galilee now is lush due to the rainy season, the Sea is low and rain is a blessing. I wrote the meditation on the second night of a charity hike supporting Tsad Kadima, a wonderful organization that provides education and other services for kids and adults with cerebral palsy. To listen while you read, click the triangle in the bar below.

Come, Rain
Come, rain,
Pour forth
Upon this barren land,
Upon this barren heart.
The earth is dry,
My chest is withered
And love has fled
For more fertile ground.

Postscript: Please consider donating to my Tsad Kadima “Hike for Hope” with this link. It’s a great organization. My other prayers about rain include “For Rain,” “The Flood” and “About the Rainbow.”

Photo Source: Alden Solovy; view of the Kinneret from our campground, March 11, 2015

Mishpatim 5775: The Statutes of Heaven

Posted on: February 11th, 2015 by Alden

There are 53 mitzvot in this week’s Torah reading, Mishpatim. This new meditation recognizes the breadth of these commandments while making several direct references to the parasha. One is the word ‘ordinance,’ referring to the parasha’s name and opening line. Another comes at close of the first stanza, a reference to Exodus 24:7: “We will do and obey.” The third stanza alludes to Exodus 22:28: “Thou shall not delay to offer the fullness of thy harvest…”

The Statutes of Heaven
This will be a law,
An ordinance of heaven,
A statute for all time
That I will obey.
Love.
Love so that my hands
Yearn to heal.
Love so that my eyes
Yearn for holiness and beauty.
Love so that sacred words of Torah
Are forever on my lips.
I will do and I will listen.

And if I forget
To love this life I’ve been given,
If I forget to love the G-d of my people,
The homeless and the stranger,
The widow and the orphan,
The statutes of heaven will remind me
Against a callous heart,
Against neglect and deceit,
Against contempt and vain pursuit.

These are the first fruits of my heart.
Kindness and charity.
Thanksgiving and mourning.
Joy and sorrow.
Repentance and prayer.
Honor, wisdom and grace.
I will not withhold them
From my G-d,
Neither the fullness of my being,
Nor the richness my celebration.

The statutes of heaven are my guide.
They resound from Sinai into my life.
This will be a law,
An ordinance of heaven,
A statute for all time:
Love through service,
Love through Torah and mitzvot,
Love through a life of holiness.

Postscript: The unifying idea of love in this meditation comes from other parts of Torah, including parashat Vayikra, Leviticus 19:18, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Here are two more prayers about serving G-d with an open heart: “Let Your Heart Stir” and “Let Us Meet.”

Photo Source: Jewish Gems, Mishpatim: Crossing a Line

Posts Tagged ‘love’

Quick Blessing for a Past Love

Faith to Pray

Rise on Wings: A Prayer of Borrowing

Ekev: Come, Rain

Two Prayers by Teens

Balak: Your Dwelling Place

Let G-d

Entrances and Exits

Come, Rain

Mishpatim 5775: The Statutes of Heaven

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