The Latest Prayers

We had another writing session at shul last Saturday, and here's what came of it:

Prayer for Rain

In the beginning, You made the heavens to separate the waters above from the waters below. Creator of Life, the waters below are drying out. Please open the heavens and send Your life-giving rains on us here below.

Thanksgiving for Rain

Blessed are You, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, for the rain You are sending to water Your world. The plants thank You; the rivers and lakes thank You; the animals and people thank You. We drink in Your love and give You praise.

Blessings for Great Art

I.

Made in the divine image, we humans are also creators. Thank You, Maker of the Universe, for the work of creation that I'm experiencing now. The artist has brought such beauty into the world that I think of You and give praise.

II.

Wow, God. There's a lump in my throat, the hairs on my skin are standing on end. This is so great that I have to think that You had something to do with it.

Meditation after Natural Disasters

Nature has burst her bounds, spreading devastation and death. Innocence and peace are shattered.

Oceans are supposed to stay beyond the shores; the earth is supposed to be still. We cast around for explanations, for blame. But it is beyond us.

"Where were you," God asked Job, "when I laid the earth's foundations?" We weren't there; we don't know why this happened. We can only provide whatever help we can and pray that others do too.

Prayer on Recovery from Mental Illness

I know better than to claim that I'm cured. Victory over this enemy, with whom I often collaborate, is probably not final. But I am better today than I've been in some time, and I know what I can do if it starts getting bad again, and for this I thank God.

A Reading on Loneliness and Community

For you who are standing alone in the crowded room, you who don't know how to talk with the people next to you in the pew, you who cannot find within yourself Sabbath joy or a sense of belonging: you are not alone. Many around you share these feelings, this sense of isolation and powerlessness. Even in feeling alone, you are not alone.

God said, "It is not good for people to be alone." And so we are driven to find partners, to find community. Here at Sha'ar Zahav, we are a community, formed to provide a home for those who were rejected by other communities because of our sexual orientation. Sha'ar Zahav is our home, whether we feel at home or not. Sha'ar Zahav is our family and community. Here are the hands that help us, the arms that embrace us, those who call us family.