Prayer for Friday

When eating bamboo sprouts,
remember the man who planted them.
~ Chinese Proverb

Though our mouths were full of song as the sea,
and our tongues of exultation as the multitude of its waves,
and our lips of praise as the wide-extended firmament;
though our eyes shone with light like the sun and the moon,
and our hands were spread forth like the eagles of heaven,
and our feet were swift as hinds,
we should still be unable to thank thee and bless thy name,
O Lord our God and God of our fathers,
for one thousandth or one ten thousandth part of the bounties
which thou has bestowed upon our fathers and upon us.

(Nishmat, Hebrew Prayer)

This Week’s Affirmation:

“I am grateful for all that I experience in this lifetime.”

(For more on Affirmations, go to my Affirmations Page.)

Prayer for Monday (Shavuot)

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot ends today at sunset.

There are only two ways to live your life.
One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
~ Albert Einstein

For A New Vision

With new vision
We see the abundance of Your world,
Blessings of heaven and earth.

G-d, help us to see the world through Your eyes,
And each other,
And ourselves.
For joy and peace,
For love and light,
That we may bring holiness into Your world.

Blessed are You, Adonai,
G-d of all worlds,
Who creates moments when heaven touches earth,
Allowing us to hear Your word,
To feel Your radiance
And to see Your divine light.

© 2010 Alden Solovy and http://www.tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Used by permission.

This Week’s Affirmation:

“I am happy and grateful for everything I have and receive daily.”

(For more on Affirmations, go to my Affirmations Page.)

Prayer for Saturday (Shavuot)

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot begins at sundown today.

Life is eternal, and love is immortal,
and death is only a horizon;
and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
~ Rossiter Worthington Raymond

Mourner’s Kaddish*

Glorified and sanctified be God’s great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will. May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days, and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon; and say, Amen.

May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored, adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.

May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

He who creates peace in His celestial heights, may He create peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

(Source: Orthodox Union website)

* Kaddish is not a prayer for the deceased. Nowhere in Kaddish is the name of the deceased mentioned and there is no mention of death, loss or mourning. With the saying of the Kaddish prayer, the mourner both affirms his faith in God and calls on the community to join him in affirming his statement. When a mourner publicly inspires other Jews to affirm their faith in God, this greatly benefits the soul of the departed. A Rabbi should be consulted as to the proper time and place to say Kaddish which requires a Minyan (a quorum of ten adult male Jews.)

This Week’s Affirmation:

“I trust in the process of life.”

(For more on Affirmations, go to my Affirmations Page.)