Posts Tagged ‘singing praises’

 

I Sing

Posted on: January 7th, 2018 by Alden

A prayer about song in honor of the amazing musicians filling the world with new Jewish music. The format — 6x6x3, six lines of six words in three stanzas — is inspired by the Facebook group I created where people share their Six Word Prayers. This piece appears in This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer from CCAR Press.

I Sing
I sing because G-d made music,
To lift our hearts and souls
From the hollow depths of darkness
To the highest heights of heaven,
From the cold shadows of desire
To the gates of radiant hope.

I sing because G-d made music,
To mark the moments of wonder,
To sanctify the moments of sorrow,
To soothe, to comfort, to gladden,
To cradle us with infinite harmony,
To rock us with eternal love.

I sing because G-d made music,
To give our souls a trumpet,
To give our wisdom a tambourine,
To give our prayers a voice,
To make our lives a song,
With the instruments of G-d’s blessings.

© 2021 CCAR Press from This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer

Postscript: Other prayers about song include: “We are Music,” “To Hear Me Sing,” “For the Gift of Song” and “For the Gift of Music.”

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: ClipArtLook

Praise the New Day

Posted on: August 5th, 2013 by tobendlight

My Glimpses of GloryHere’s another prayer of praise for G-d, with the added hope and desire to be of service to G-d’s world. My other prayers of praise include “Dance Hallelujah,” “Sing Hallelujah” and “Sing Out.” This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Praise the New Day
Praise the new day,
A gift of the Source of All Being,
The Breath of Life,
The Soul of the Universe.
Cherish the moments
And sanctify the hours.
Bless the joys
And honor the tears.
Lift your heart in song.
Raise your voice in thanksgiving.
Magnify your faith.
Practice acceptance.
Offer consolation.
Seek wisdom.
Become a well of healing,
A beacon of kindness,
A source of forgiveness,
A light of wonder and wisdom.

Soul of the Universe,
Breath of Life,
Source of All Being,
We praise the new day.
A gift of holiness and love.

© 2013 Alden Solovy and www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: 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 Source: My Glimpses of Glory

Modeh Ani

Posted on: May 19th, 2013 by tobendlight

Shema_L_medHere’s a new meditation based on a line of Jewish prayer. I’ve taken the prayer said on waking up, Modeh Ani, and created a ‘loop’ by shifting and replacing three words: ‘soul,’ ‘love’ and ‘trust.’ As the verses progress, the first of these words moves out and the other two move over to fill the empty spot, with a new word entering in the last position. The loop completes when the three original words prayer reenter one-by-one until the line is restored.

Modeh Ani
מודה אני לפניך מלך חי וקיים שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה, רבה אמונתך
Modeh (modah) ani lifanekha melekh ḥai v’kayam sheheḥezarta bi nishmahti b’ḥemlah, rabah emunatekha.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my soul with love
Filled with Your eternal trust.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my love with trust
Filled with Your eternal hope.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my trust with hope
Filled with Your eternal kindness.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my hope with kindness
Filled with Your eternal justice.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my kindness with justice
Filled with Your eternal mercy.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my justice with mercy
Filled with Your eternal peace.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my mercy with peace
Filled with Your eternal soul.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my peace with soul
Filled with Your eternal love.

I thank You, G-d,
Creator of life, Eternal One,
For restoring my soul with love
Filled with Your eternal trust.

© 2013 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: I’ve used the same technique of shifting and replacing words in another prayer “For Devotion” which begins with the line “O Lord, open You my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise” (Psalms 51:17). This line is used to set the intention for devotion in prayer before reciting the Amidah. See also: “Affirmation of Faith” and “Gathering: A Dream of Reunion.”

If you use this prayer, please click “like” on this page and subscribe. Please take a moment to post a link to your Facebook page, your blog or mention it in a tweet. Thanks. For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!

Photo Source: LadyMama.org

Sing Out

Posted on: April 10th, 2012 by tobendlight

sing_7469Singing is a powerful expression of prayer. It can bring awe, mystery and holiness. No wonder that whenever I feel the light of G-d’s gifts enter my life, I want to sing out. Here’s a prayer that calls on us to celebrate Divine gifts with song. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

 

Sing Out
When you feel the light of holiness,
The radiance of love,
The shimmering of glory,
The luminous glow of spirit…

When you inhale wonder
And exhale awe…

When mystery and majesty flow
Through your pulsing veins…

When G-d’s whisper becomes a thundering
Blast of the Shofar…

When your soul remembers its
Place in the heavens…

Sing out!
Sing out your joy.
Sing out your praise.

When you feel the light of Torah,
The radiance of Mitzvot,
The shimmering of prayer,
The luminous glow of loving-kindness…

Sing out!
Sing out to G-d.
Your voice will join the chorus of angels
And your heart will know
The secret of eternity.

© 2012 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here are three related prayers: “For the Gift of Song,” “Sing Hallelujah” and “A Song that Holds My Heart.”

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: Yoga Sanctuary

“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