Tag Archive for "praise" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘praise’

For the Gift of Torah Scholarship

Posted on: May 5th, 2010 by tobendlight

Loving Torah is a way of life. This prayer is part of a series of prayers thanking G-d for various forms of artistry: song, dance, art. Why? Study of sacred text is an artistic endeavor, combining skill and knowledge with interpretation and insight. Here are more prayers and stories for use on Shavuot. This piece appears in This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day from CCAR Press.

For the Gift of Torah Scholarship
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of scholarship,
For wisdom, insight and understanding,
For the gift that unlocks treasures hidden in Your Holy Word.
You gave us Torah at Sinai
And righteous men and women to be Your messengers,
Revealing divine secrets stage-by-stage.
Hear this prayer for those who study Talmud and Torah,
Mishna and Gemara,
Zohar, Musar and Tanya,
The words of G-d to Israel,
The lessons of scholars of every generation.
Make their thoughts Your vessel.
Let heaven pour Your voice into them
So that they overflow with sacred fire
Drawing others to Your word.
So that when we hear Your mysteries,
Our souls turn back to You in joyous reunion.
Together, we offer the light back to heaven,
And rejoice.

Postscript: Be sure to check out the other prayers in this series: “For the Gift of Song,” “For the Gift of Words,” “For the Gift of Dance,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Music,” “For the Gift of Laughter” and “For the Joy of Learning.”

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: Judea Reform Congregation

For the Gift of Dance

Posted on: April 28th, 2010 by tobendlight

This is another in a series of prayers celebrating the gifts of creativity and honoring artistic expression, this one focused on dance. The introduction to “For the Gift of Song”describes the common framework that I’ve used in this series. To listen as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Gift of Dance
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of dance,
For the gift of rhythm and movement,
For the gift of power, awe, wonder and thanksgiving
Expressed through our bodies
In celebration of Your Divine creation.
Hear this prayer for those who dance for love and healing,
For prayer and repentance,
Seeking wholeness and light.
Make their bodies your vessel.
Let heaven pour grace and beauty through them
So that they overflow with Your spirit,
Drawing others to Your mysteries.
So that when we see this dance
Our souls turn back to You in celebration.
Together, we offer our spirits back to heaven,
And rejoice.

Postscript: Be sure to check out the other prayers in this series: “For the Gift of Song,” “For the Gift of Words,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Music,” “For the Gift of Laughter,” “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” and “For the Joy of Learning.”

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.

For the Gift of Song

Posted on: April 11th, 2010 by tobendlight

Creativity. What an amazing set of gifts! Song, dance, music, art. Writing. Humor. This is part of a series of prayers celebrating creativity, including dance, music and art. Each of these prayers has a common framework:

Thanks to G-d for the beauty of that gift: “G-d, we give thanks for the gift of… ”
Recognition of those who’ve been given that particular gift: “Hear this prayer for those who…”
A petition that the gift be used to bring holiness into the world: “Make their [_____] Your vessel…”
A petition that, in receiving this gift from G-d through the artist, we’ll be reminded to use our own lives to bring beauty and holiness into the world: “So that when we…”

To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Gift of Song
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of song,
For the gift of melody and harmony,
For the gift of voices quilted together in chorus,
Lifting praises toward the holy realms.
Hear this prayer for those who chant in Your Name,
Who chant for healing,
Who chant to witness Your love,
Your power,
Your grace.
Make their voices Your vessel.
Let heaven pour joy through them
So that they overflow with Your light,
Drawing others to Your glory.
So that when we hear their song
Our hearts turn back to You in peace.
Together, we offer our prayer back to heaven
And rejoice.

Postscript: Be sure to check out the other prayers in this series: “For the Gift of Words,” “For the Gift of Dance,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Music,” “For the Gift of Laughter,” “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” and “For the Joy of Learning.”

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. Connect with To Bend Light on Facebook and on Twitter.

On the Trail

Posted on: April 4th, 2010 by tobendlight

On every trail, on every adventure, there’s a moment truth, a moment that tests my skills, my resolve and my dedication to the journey. This prayer includes a reminder that there are wonderful secrets waiting along the way, secrets that cannot be found anywhere else. I use this prayer for the 25th day of the counting of the Omer. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

On the Trail
G-d of beginnings,
G-d of mystery and adventure,
The path is steep,
The route is hidden,
The trail a narrow ridge line,
Exposed and treacherous,
Slicing between majestic canyons,
Rising to the awesome sky.
The load is heavy, the destination unknown,
But the journey has rhythm and dance,
Song and story,
Ancient music that rises around us,
To take us from sunset to sunset
As we move into the glorious unknown
Step by step,
Moment by moment,
Day by day by day.

G-d of the wayfarer,
G-d of the traveler and sojourner,
Divine light of wonder and truth,
Lead us.
Show us the way
Across vast open spaces
And through tight, narrow passages.
Guide us.
Show us the way
Through stormy days
And moonless nights.

Blessed are You, Source and Shelter,
Guide and Compass, Oasis of Strength,
You lead Your people from trail to trail,
From trial to trial,
From darkness to light,
With love.

Postscript: My other traveler’s prayers include: “On the Road,” “For Travel” and “Being Lost.”

Photo by Alden Solovy

For Bereaved Children

Posted on: March 25th, 2010 by tobendlight

This prayer is dear to me. I wrote it on behalf of my daughters. It’s a father’s yearning for his children, my yearning for my daughters as I witness them struggling to cope with the loss of their mother. My wife Ami z”l died after a tragic fall. As a prayer for healing, it echos the themes in the Mourner’s Kaddish, recalling G-d’s majesty and holiness. This prayer appears in my book, Enter These Gates: Meditations for the Days of Awe. To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For Bereaved Children
Father of Jacob,
Mother of Rachel,
Source of Awe and Wonder,
Cradle and Shelter,
Our children are lost in tears,
Crushed in sorrow,
Erased in loneliness,
Bent and broken,
Their hopes, dust…
Their joys, cinders…
Their dreams, shadows.

You who comfort Zion and Israel,
Comfort our children in this moment of grievous loss,
And show them the path from darkness to light.
Renew their hope,
Rekindle their joy,
Spark their dreams,
So that they, too, will know Your healing Power,
Your salvation and grace,
Your loving kindness.
Hold them,
Lift them,
Carry them,
Until, refreshed by Your spirit,
They walk upright once again,
Toward holiness and love,
With charity and thanksgiving,
Humility and strength,
In awe and righteousness,
To sing Your praise.

Postscript: Here are links to two mourner’s prayers: “After Shiva” and “For the Bereaved.” Please consider purchasing Enter These Gates: Meditations for the Days of Awe.

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 like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: Alden Solovy

Posts Tagged ‘praise’

For the Gift of Torah Scholarship

For the Gift of Dance

For the Gift of Song

On the Trail

For Bereaved Children

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