Posts Tagged ‘wisdom’

 

From R’ Akiva’s Tomb

Posted on: June 21st, 2011 by tobendlight

Israel Second Download 075Today I walked to the tombs of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (the Ramchal). It was a pleasant uphill walk of about 25 minutes, with a brief detour to the Chabad House of Tiberias to check directions. This is what came to me as I walked, with a remarkably different tone than my first prayer completed in Israel, “To Find Home.” It’s the second piece that I’ve finished on this trip.

 

Sages
Blessed are the sages who came before.
Blessed are the sages who’ll come later.
Blessed are the sages of our day.
Blessed is your heart.

For you
Dear sisters and brothers,
You too are sages.
The wisdom of the ages
Is in your eyes and on your lips,
In your flesh and in your bone,
In your laughter and in your tears,
Holy music that sings around you,
Radiance that dances before you,
Prayers that echo through you.

Blessed is the sage within you.
Blessed are your studies and your deeds.
Blessed is your heart.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Here are links to two other prayers about wisdom, “For the Gift of Torah Scholarship” and “For the Joy of Learning.” Here’s a link to first prayer I completed during my 2011 trip to Israel, “To Find Home.”

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Photo Credit: Alden Solovy

For Service

Posted on: June 6th, 2011 by tobendlight

service-to-othersA prayer about living a life of service. It appears in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing. I have also selected it for use during week six of Counting the Omer. To listen along, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.

 

For Service
G-d of our fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
G-d of our mothers,
Sarah, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel,
Open my heart to serve others
With joy and thanksgiving.
Remove ego, judgment and self-will
So that I am present with kindness and understanding.
Make me a tool of Your hand,
An echo of Your voice,
And a shining lamp of Your love.
Grant me the wisdom to offer myself willingly, without fear.
Fill me with compassion and grace,
Vitality and endurance,
So that my service becomes a blessing
In heaven and on earth.

Blessed are You, G-d of Old,
You set Your people on a noble path,
To serve with love.

© 2011 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: Other prayers that touch on the theme of service include: “Giving Thanks,” “To Hear Your Voice” and “To Know Your Word.”

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: A Project for Kindness

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