Prayers for Life
In different stages of my life I have adopted various prayers as part of my routine. Below are descriptions of prayers you might find helpful. Some are home grown and others have entered my collection from other sources. Feel free to adopt and adapt any that speak to you.
For a shortcut to an alphabetized list of prayers click here.
I will be adding things as I go along so come back and visit as often as you like :)
Truth
This is a prayer requesting Truth. I wrote it a long time ago when I felt very confused about things in my life. I still recite it daily. I feel it keeps me aligned with the Creator and expresses my innermost desire to remain true to Him and to my purpose. I look at it as a kind of realignment and insurance for the day ahead of me.
Gratitude
There is a very unique story behind this prayer. A good number of years ago this prayer burst through my lips while I was driving in the rain on a curvy country road. Later that day I stopped for a planned visit to my dear teacher Rav Avraham Sutton. when I arrived at his home, he handed me a paper. It was a Hebrew prayer that someone had handed him at the Kotel (the Western Wall in Jerusalem). When I read the prayer I was literally knocked off my feet (I fell into a nearby chair) because it was a precise translation of the prayer I had offered in English just hours before. I present it to you with Rav Avraham's English translation along with the Hebrew.
Coping with Life Changing Illness
This is a prayer I wrote a few months into my natural healing protocol for Lymphoma. I say it daily. If you are dealing with a similar challenge this prayer lends itself easily to adaptation so see beyond my details and make it your own...and may all in need of healing find their way back to perfect health speedily in our time.
More Gratitude - Psalm 100
It's short and sweet and best of all, written by King David! I make it a daily habit to do some form of gratitude. When time is short, this Psalm fits the bill. I present the chapter in both Hebrew and English. English translation, courtesy of Rav Avraham Sutton.
Protection Against Ayin Hora (Evil Eye)
This is a compilation of nine verses all beginning with the Hebrew letter nun. I received this from Rabbi Eyal Vered (Rabbi of Kehillat Yachdav in Petach Tikvah, Israel) who received it from the holy hands of Rabbi Refael Levine (son of Rabbi Aryeh Levine). This was originally compiled by the Chida - Rabbi Chayim Yosef David Azulai (1724-1806). Rav Vered was told by Rabbi Levine to recite this daily. I present it in Hebrew.
Praise & Gratitude Nishmat Kol Chai
Some of this prayer dates back 2,000 years to the Mishnaic times. Some of it is also mentioned in the Talmud. It existed during the time of the Geonim (between 1,200 and 1,000 years ago). It is also quoted in full (with slight changes) by Maimonides (12th century). It is extremely powerful. I will add from personal experience, that singing it is even more so. Rabbi Avraham Sutton was gracious enough to provide us with the above history as well as his English translation which appears below the Hebrew.
Mother's Prayer
I received this prayer a number of years ago at a mother/daughter get-together at Midreshet Tohar in Yad Binyamin. Unfortunately, I do not know who wrote it. It is a special prayer appropriate to recite while lighting Shabbos candles. I say it almost daily and I feel that being constant with it moves things in Places I cannot see. Mothers can often be heard saying 'I don't know what to do to help my child.' Well, there is something a mother can always do - PRAY ! For now, I present the prayer in Hebrew only and hope I will get to translating it at some point.
Teshuva - Return to Self
This prayer was found among Rebbe Nachman's things after his passing. I say it every morning. It is a request from the All Knowing to light our path back to our true selves free of confusion and to provide us with a pure heart with which to serve Him. I present it in Hebrew and hope to translate it at some point.
Daily Alignment with the Creator
We all want to start the day on the right foot. I find this prayer or intention very helpful. With these words we dedicate all our thoughts, actions and words to the Creator and to His Will. We put ourselves in His Hands for the day and include all those who are dependent upon us. It was written by Reb Nosson (Natan) of Breslev, Rebbe Nachman's closest deciple. In the opening paragraph Reb Nosson follows his Rebbe's teaching by connecting himself daily to the Tzadik while requesting of Hashem to guide him throughout his day. It appears for now, in Hebrew only.