Tag Archive for "prayer" | To Bend Light

Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

To Pray

Posted on: April 24th, 2012 by tobendlight

Why do I want a heart of prayer? So that I can sing G-d’s praises fully, deeply, from my entire being. It’s another prayer about prayer, such as: “For Prayer,” “Prayer Released,” “Prayers of My Heart,” “Whispered Prayer” and “Prayer for You, Prayer for Me.” To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

To Pray
G-d, bless me with a heart of prayer:
To lift my voice,
To sing Your praise,
To extol Your wisdom,
To recall Your deeds,
To proclaim Your glory,
To declare Your majesty,
To recount Your ways,
To remember Your works,
To delight in Your gifts,
To rejoice in Your Word.

Let prayer flow from my lips.
Let me join the song of my people,
Filling the realms above
And the realms below
With joy and wonder,
So that holiness, radiance and awe,
Walk with us
Throughout our days.

Postscript: See also: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon,” “Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk,” and “Quick Meditation at Night.”

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 consider making a contribution to support this site and my writing.

Photo Source: First Baptist Church of Glenns Ferry

Two Years of Prayer

Posted on: March 22nd, 2012 by tobendlight

We pray. Why? Many reasons. To connect with G-d. To connect with others. To connect with ourselves. And we use prayers in unique ways. Prayers from To Bend Light have been used in worship services, memorial services, 9/11 commemorations, in hospital rooms, Veterans Day services, as an introduction to a family genealogy, in a cookbook/fundraiser for first responders, two rabbinic theses and even as an epitaph on a headstone. (For complete information on reprints, permissions, using and posting these prayers, see “Share the Prayer!”)

Today marks the second anniversary of sharing my prayers online. So far the prayers, poems and stories posted here have been read more 42,000 times by people in 49 nations. Thank you for your connection and commitment to prayer. Thank you for your ideas and suggestions. And thank you for taking time to read and listen to my words.

The site now has 272 posts, including 215 original prayers and 12 short stories. I’ve also begun posting notes to help readers use these prayers, such as lists of prayers related to specific holidays and seasons like Passover and Counting the Omer, or to find specific topics, like Prayers for Social Justice and Yizkor and Memorial Prayers.

Here are a few of my favorite new pieces posted this year:

My Liturgy for 9-11 was read most often in the past year, driven in large part by the 10^th anniversary of the attacks.

Special thanks to Rabbi Ruth Abusch-Magder, Brenda Epstein, Alan Schwartz, Gail Hopke, Susan Diamond, Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Fran Rossi Szpylczyn, Rev. Naomi, Rev. Jennifer Danielle Crumpton, Boysen Hodgson and Pastor Austin Fleming, as well as Prayables, RJ Blog, Tzeh Ulimad, A Concord Pastor Comments, Bechol Lashon, Beth Emet: The Free Synagogue, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, The ManKind Project Journal, BeliefNet, Positive Jewish Living, Odyssey Networks and Sacred Journey as well as everyone else I thanked last year or those I may have inadvertently missed, for your support, encouragement and partnership.

With love and blessings,

Alden

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Sadly, also new this year, instances of theft of this material, which leads me to post this additional notice:

Notice
These prayers may be used and shared only as described on this site. For complete information on reprints, permissions, using and posting these prayers, see “Share the Prayer!” No other uses are authorized and are in violation of the author’s copyright. All content on this site is copyright material of Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights are reserved.

Whispered Prayer

Posted on: January 31st, 2012 by tobendlight

This meditation — a riff off of Psalm 150 — is a reminder that the voice of prayer resounds in the heavens. It ends with a classic chatimah, a closing seal to the prayer, which is taken from Jewish liturgy. It asserts that G-d hears our prayers. This prayer appears in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press. It’s also available as a poster. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Whispered Prayer
Your whispered prayer
Your secret hope
Your quiet yearning
Have holiness and power.
They resound in the heavens
And echo on high.
They are drum and cymbal,
Trumpet and horn,
Proclaiming your faith,
Music of generations,
Proclaiming your hope,
Hymns of the heart,
Proclaiming your dedication
To the G-d of all Being,
Source and Shelter,
Rock and Redeemer,
Light and Truth.

Your whispered prayer
Is the song of the ages.
Your secret hope
Is the light of tomorrow.
Your quiet yearning
Is the voice of eternity.

Blessed are You Adonai,
Who hears prayer.
.ברוך אתה ה שומע חפלה
Baruch atah Adonai, shomei’a t’filah.

Postscript: This prayer is available as a downloadable PDF poster and is from my series of prayers about prayer, including: “For Prayer,” “Prayer Released,” “Prayers of My Heart” and “Prayer for You, Prayer for Me.”

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: Whispered Prayer PDF poster

Pinchas haLevi

Posted on: December 23rd, 2011 by tobendlight

This 111-word story tells of a man whose siddur is always near, but it’s really about passing the gift of prayer from one generation to the next. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below (website only). The text follows.

Pinchas haLevi

Pinchas haLevi carries his siddur in his coat, in a special pocket near his heart. He sewed the pocket himself, double stitching the fabric so it would never tear, never risk spilling its sacred cargo. He checks the pocket each week, before Shabbat, to make sure the stitches are still tight. He knows the prayers by heart, every blessing, every song, every word. But Pinchas haLevi’s siddur is always with him. It was his father’s and his grandfather’s and his great-grandfather’s before that. And one day, if G-d wills it, the siddur will ride in a special pocket of a special coat near the heart of a child yet to come.

Postscript: Here’s a link to all stories posted here.

If you like this story, post a link to your Facebook page, to your blog or as part of a tweet. And don’t forget to click “like” on this page. Thanks. For reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” in the right hand column.

Shabbat Shira: For the Gift of Music

Posted on: December 5th, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a short and sweet prayer about music reposted today in gratitude for a fantastic weekend at OSRUI, the musical retreat Shabbat Shira. To listen while you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

For the Gift of Music
G-d, we give thanks for the gift of music,
For horn and flute,
For strings and drums,
For crescendo and staccato,
For the gift that gives our spirits a divine voice.
Hear this prayer for those who write music, arranging sound, seeking beauty.
Hear this prayer for those who play music, creating sound, releasing beauty.
Make their music Your vessel.
Let heaven pour joy and sorrow, love and loss through them
So that they overflow with Your most secret prayers for Your people,
Drawing others to Your blessings.
So that when we hear their music
Our souls turn back to You for shelter.
Together, we offer our voices back to heaven,
And rejoice.

Postscript: I also had the pleasure of reading this at an open mike night at Shabbat Shira. It was originally posted on May 12, 2010, and was reposted along with “For the Gift of Song,” in memory of Debbie Friedman, z”l, on January 9, 2011. My other creativity prayers include: “For the Gift of Dance,” “For the Gift of Art,” “For the Gift of Laughter,” “For the Gift of Words” and “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship.”

For notices of new prayers posted here, please subscribe. To read four to six mini-prayers each week, as well as notices of new prayers posted to the site, please join the To Bend Light fan page on Facebook.

Every Heart

Posted on: November 23rd, 2011 by tobendlight

This is a prayer in praise of G-d’s radiance and majesty in the world, creating a lovely transition from Shabbat into the week. It carries the age-old Jewish longing that the power of rejoicing in prayer will herald a time of wholeness, holiness and peace, echoing the theme and rhythm of the Aleinu. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Every Heart
Let us exalt
Your Holy Name.
Proclaiming Your Majesty.
Proclaiming Your Sovereignty,
Proclaiming Your Splendor.
Let our limbs announce Your Radiance,
And our voices declare Your Glory.
Let us sing and shout,
So that the hills echo with praise,
And the streets pulse with prayer.
So that the seas swell with rejoicing,
And the cities vibrate with thanksgiving.
Then the universe will expand with wonder,
And the heavenly host will join in the song.
The gates of righteousness will burst open.
The path to mystery will shine.
The way to holiness will sparkle.
The route to beauty will gleam.
Every heart will turn to You,
Adonai our G-d,
In joyous surrender.
Every heart will know gratitude and love,
Happiness and consolation.
Justice and mercy will reign,
And peace will hallow the earth.

Postscript: Other prayers of praise include “Dance Hallelujah” and “Sing Hallelujah.” Here’s a link to prayers of Thanksgiving.

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.

Photo credit: Iowa State University

Thanksgiving Prayers

Posted on: November 15th, 2011 by tobendlight

Here are links to prayers that would make lovely additions to your Thanksgiving Day, including one-line excerpts and brief descriptions. Click on the title to read the entire prayer:

Giving Thanks – “To whom shall I give this grateful heart, this joy that shines through the center of my being?” A reminder to live with gratitude and love.
One Gift – “You, Holy One, are the Source of all gifts, the
Source of all blessings.” To remember our gifts.
Meditation at the Thanksgiving Table – “Let us remember those in need.” A prayer to be said together.
A Moment of Blessing – “This is a moment of blessing. Blessings given. Blessings received…” Right here, this very moment, blessings abound.
This Bounty – “In gratitude for these gifts, Holy One, Bless me with wisdom to use them with skill…” A prayer of thanksgiving.
An Amazing Life – “This is an amazing life, a river of blessings, a gift to cherish in awe and wonder.” A prayer of gratitude for this amazing life.
Harvest Prayer – “The yield arrives full and ripe, plump and ready, bursting in flavor, brimming with gifts…” In thanks and praise for the gifts of the land.
For Autumn – “G-d of time and space, may this season be a blessing and a teacher…” A prayer for the autumn season.
Life as a Banquet – “Grant me the grace to live my life as a banquet, a river of abundance and blessing…” The banquet of your life is full. Share your gifts.

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: Mentoring Moments

Quick Meditation at Night

Posted on: October 29th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is to thank G-d for the gift of today (this very day) and of tomorrow (the day about to come). It’s another in my series of “quick meditations,” including: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon” and “Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk.” These meditations are for use when prayer time is brief. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Quick Meditation at Night
G-d,
Thank you for the gift of this day,
The one ending,
And the one about to begin.
Help me to see the moments and the hours,
Those I’ve spent and those to come,
As blessings, as teachers.
Guide me to service for Your Name’s sake.
Grant me comfort and rest
So that I may return to the new day
With a sense of joy, hope and peace.
Then, G-d of old,
I will become a source of love,
A beacon of wonder, awe and grace.

Postscript: Check out: “Quick Meditation for Today,” “Quick Meditation at Noon” and “Your Name: Quick Prayer at Dusk.”

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.

Photo credit: Open Walls

Meditation Before Neilah

Posted on: October 7th, 2011 by tobendlight

This meditation for the last service of Yom Kippur is the second prayer inspired by a song composed by my cousin Irwin Keller for Neilah called “At the Closing of the Gates.” To hear this prayer, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

Meditation Before Neilah
Wait.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I must show You.
It’s dark
And secret.
Part sadness.
Part anger.
Part fear.

Listen.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I must tell You.
It’s hard
And heavy.
Part pride.
Part guilt.
Part shame.

Stay.
There is something else,
G-d of Old,
I need from You.
It’s ancient
And new.
Part Torah.
Part Mitzvot.
Part joy and love and light.

G-d of Justice,
G-d of Mercy,
Hear my plea.
Wait for me to return to You.
Listen as I confess to You.
Stay as I struggle to live my life as a blessing,
According to Your wisdom,
According to Your law,
According to Your word.

Postscript: To listen to Irwin’s song, as well as the first prayer it inspired, click here: “At the Gates.” Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, another one of prayers for Rosh Hashana, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

Tweetable! Click here to tweet this: “Wait. There’s something else, G-d of Old, I must show You…” Powerful Neilah prayer by @ToBendLight https://tobendlight.com/?p=4268

Photo Source: Ragamuffin Studies

At the Gates

Posted on: October 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

This prayer is about standing at the gates of heaven in prayer. It alludes to the Un’taneh Tokef which asserts that t’shuva (repentance), t’fillah (prayer) and tzdakah (charity) are key to a full reconciliation with G-d, with oneself and with the world. It was inspired by a song written by my cousin Irwin Keller for Neilah called, “At the Closing of the Gates.” This prayer is the result of listening to his song, with a few changes recommended by Irwin. To listen to his song, click on the triangle in the first bar, below. “At the Closing of the Gates,” by Irwin Keller:

To listen to the words of the prayer while reading, click on the triangle in the second bar. The text follows. “At the Gates,” by Alden Solovy:

At the Gates
At the gates of repentance
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of t’shuva?

The gates of repentance
Surround my heart.
Unlock my fear,
G-d of Old,
So I may enter
The well of love
With wonder and awe.

At the gates of charity
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of tzdakah?

The gates of charity
Surround my deeds.
Unlock my fortitude,
Source and Shelter,
So I may enter
The well of healing
With righteousness and strength.

At the gates of devotion
You will be asked:
Are you ready to enter?
Are you ready to live a life of t’fillah?

The gates of devotion
Surround my spirit.
Unlock my faith,
Rock of Israel,
So I may enter
The well of mystery
With prayer and rejoicing.

Postscript: Click here for the full list of prayers for the Yamim Noraim. Here’s a focused list of prayers for Elul, another one of prayers for Rosh Hashana, a list of prayers for Yom Kippur and one more for Sukkot. And here’s a link to yizkor and memorial prayers.

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.

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons

Posts Tagged ‘prayer’

To Pray

Two Years of Prayer

Whispered Prayer

Pinchas haLevi

Shabbat Shira: For the Gift of Music

Every Heart

Thanksgiving Prayers

Quick Meditation at Night

Meditation Before Neilah

At the Gates

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

**"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023**

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6

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