A Fifteen Minute Spiritual Workout
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I have had many conversations in my office with people who say: rabbi, I would really like to take on a daily prayer practice, but I open up the siddur (the prayerbook) and it is all too overwhelming. I gave a sermon about this at last year's High Holidays and thought it was an issue that would be worth revisiting and, this time, will include
One of the responses that I usually give to that person who is too frightened away by all the pages of liturgy, is to begin by at least starting and ending the day with a few moments of prayer or meditation, as a spiritual punctuation of the day. Our tradition invites us to awake each morning with gratitude and readiness for what the day will bring us, and to end the day with reflection, release and an invocation of protection of the angels. This alone is a wonderful entree into traditional Jewish prayer consciousness. The essential 'postures' of prayer are praise, petition and thanksgiving, with variations in the content and mood of each of these. Even if we were to spend fifteen minutes every day really reflecting on each of these, dayenu! What in my world do I feel like praising? What do I want, yearn for in the depth of my soul? For what am I feeling truly thankful? These three notions are, essentially, the substance of the nineteen blessings of the weekday Amidah, that standing, central, thrice daily, personal prayer three opening blessings of praise; thirteen blessings of requesting; three concluding blessings of thanksgiving.
I now offer 12 steps, from waking to sleeping, based on traditional liturgy and practice, to bring Jewish soul breaths to each day!
- Upon waking say or sing, Modeh (or modah for a woman) ani l'fanecha Melech chai v'kayam she'hechezarta bi nishmati b'chemla rabbah emunatecha I am so grateful before You living and enduring God that you have returned my soul to me. Your faithfulness in me is so great! (P.2 in Sim Shalom)
- Opening the eyes, stretching, dressing, taking first steps, say some of the Birkot HaShachar, Dawn Blessings, which reflect these actions and express gratitude for the physical body (P. 10 in Sim Shalom)
- Halleluyah Praise God! Look around at the majestic world outside, each part of creation breathes out praise to the creator! Notice all the things out there for which you want to say Halleluyah! You may want to say some of the Psalms from 146-150, each of which begins and ends with Halleluyah! (pp.82-88 in Sim Shalom)
- Shema Yisrael Listen closely to the rhythm of the universe that says all is One and connected, even though it feels so disjointed. Say the Shema and V'Ahavta (P.100 in Sim Shalom), possibly adding the two blessings before (middle and end of P.98) and the one blessing after (bottom of P.104)
- Amidah stand totally still and imagine yourself standing, like an angel, in the presence of God. Open your heart in prayer! (Traditional Amidah text P.106-120)
- Try to bring some of the stillness of this prayer into the rest of your day how do I speak to and treat all the people with whom I am going to interact today? The Aleynu (p.160) tells me that it is my responsibility today and every day to play my part in making the world a better place, bringing the hopes and dreams of my prayers into the immediate next steps of my life.
- At some point in the craziness of the middle of your day, before it gets dark, stop. Breathe in that particular moment and spend just a few minutes in that same posture of prayer. (Traditional Minchah Service, P.164)
- Pause and say blessings of appreciation for food before and after eating your meals
- Before going to sleep, ask yourself to forgive all the people who have hurt you today and ask forgiveness from those you have hurt
- Say the Shema again. (Prayers before sleeping are on P.245 in Sim Shalom)
- Ask for guidance about something in your life while you are sleeping - perhaps an unanswered question or a troubling issue
- Invoke the angels, as forces to guard and protect you as you sleep and part of your soul returns to God's care
These steps are a guide and introduction to some of the ways that Jewish prayer can be part of our daily routine. It may be far too much for some and not enough for others, but is intended as a suggestion to those of you who may want to bring a more spiritual dimension to your day.