the Open Siddur Project

A Prayer for Oklahoma

Abby Jacobson — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:30:21 +0000

The 2013 Oklahoma City tornado as it passed through south Oklahoma City. (credit: Ks0stm, license: CC-BY-SA)

Lord our God, we stood before You just a week ago to receive the Ten Statements of Your Torah. We stood, as though with our ancestors, and listened to the Torah reader chant descriptions of the smoking mountain, the thunderous rumbling, and the long-awaited voice of God.

This afternoon, the people of central Oklahoma did not stand to hear the voice of God. We sat, we paced, and we huddled. We listened to the voice of the meteorologists and watched as dark clouds swirled together over a cone of destruction. The rain fell upward, not down, and the thunderous roar of the swirling winds carried, and we saw the awesome power of God. This was not Shavuot — the Feast of Weeks that marked our days of freedom. This was minutes that seemed like years and trapped us into watching the same images of destruction.

Merciful God, a great and powerful windstorm has passed, and it has torn apart the buildings and shattered the rocks before You. You told Elijah, the prophet, that You were not in the windstorm. Please, then, be in the still, small voices of the children crying out to be found. Be in the voices of the rescuers calling out for survivors. Be in
the cries of those who are lost and of those who have lost.

May it be Your will that those who are missing be found alive and be cared for well, and may the people of central Oklahoma find strength in You and in one another as
we rebuild what we can.

This prayer was originally published online by the Rabbinical Assembly, here.

Related liturgy and liturgy-related work:

Ritual for Judging Bad Dreams for Good

Aharon Varady — Sun, 12 May 2013 05:52:31 +0000

Project Vortex. The Dimmitt Tornado. Photographer: Harald Richter, Credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), Public Domain.

From the Talmud Bavli, Tractate Berakhot 55b. Translation by Maurice Simon.

אמר רב הונא בר אמי אמר ר’ פדת א”ר יוחנן		Rav Huna bar Ammi said in the name of Rav Pedath who had it from Rebi Yoḥanan:
הרואה חלום ונפשו עגומה ילך ויפתרנו בפני שלשה יפתרנו והאמר רב חסדא חלמא דלא מפשר כאגרתא דלא מקריא אלא אימא יטיבנו בפני שלשה		If one has a dream which makes him sad he should go and have it interpreted in the presence of three.^[1] He should have it interpreted! Has not Rav Ḥisda said: A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read? — Say rather then, he should have a good turn given to it in the presence of three.
ליתי תלתא ולימא להו		Let him bring three and say to them:
חלמא טבא חזאי ולימרו ליה הנך טבא הוא וטבא ליהוי רחמנא לשוייה לטב שבע זימנין לגזרו עלך מן שמיא דלהוי טבא ויהוי טבא		I have seen a good dream; and they should say to him, Good it is and good may it be. May the Compassionate One turn it to good; seven times may it be decreed from heaven that it should be good and may it be good.
ולימרו ג’ הפוכות וג’ פדויות ושלש שלומות		They should say three verses with the word hapakh [turn], and three with the word padah [redeem] and three with the word shalom [peace].
שלש הפוכות		Three with the word ‘turn’, namely,
‏הָפַ֣כְתָּ מִסְפְּדִי֮ לְמָחֹ֪ול לִ֥י פִּתַּ֥חְתָּ שַׂקִּ֑י וַֽתְּאַזְּרֵ֥נִי שִׂמְחָֽה׃ (תהלים ל, יב)‏ אָ֣ז תִּשְׂמַ֤ח בְּתוּלָה֙ בְּמָחֹ֔ול וּבַחֻרִ֥ים וּזְקֵנִ֖ים יַחְדָּ֑ו וְהָפַכְתִּ֨י אֶבְלָ֤ם לְשָׂשֹׂון֙ וְנִ֣חַמְתִּ֔ים וְשִׂמַּחְתִּ֖ים מִיגֹונָֽם׃ (ירמיהו לא, יג)‏ ‏וְלֹֽא־אָבָ֞ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ אֶל־בִּלְעָ֔ם וַיַּהֲפֹךְ֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֧יךָ לְּךָ֛ אֶת־הַקְּלָלָ֖ה לִבְרָכָ֑ה כִּ֥י אֲהֵֽבְךָ֖ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (דברים כג, ו)‏		You turned for me my mourning into dancing, You loosened my sackcloth and gird me with gladness;^[2] Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow;^[3] Nevertheless HaShem your G!d would not listen to Balaam; but HaShem your G!d turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Hashem your G!d loved you.^[4]
שלש פדויות דכתיב		Three verses with the word ‘redeem’, namely,
‏ פָּ֘דָ֤ה בְשָׁל֣וֹם נַ֭פְשִׁי מִקֲּרָב־לִ֑י כִּֽי־בְ֝רַבִּ֗ים הָי֥וּ עִמָּדִֽי׃ (תהלים נה, יט)‏ ‎‎‏וּפְדוּיֵ֨י יְהוָ֜ה יְשֻׁב֗וּן וּבָ֤אוּ צִיּוֹן֙ בְּרִנָּ֔ה וְשִׂמְחַ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם עַל־רֹאשָׁ֑ם שָׂשׂ֤וֹן וְשִׂמְחָה֙ יַשִּׂ֔יגוּ וְנָ֖סוּ יָג֥וֹן וַאֲנָחָֽה׃ (ישעיהו לה, י)‏ ‏וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָעָ֜ם אֶל־שָׁא֗וּל הֲ‍ֽיוֹנָתָ֤ן׀ יָמוּת֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָ֠שָׂה הַיְשׁוּעָ֨ה הַגְּדוֹלָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֮ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל֒ חָלִ֗ילָה חַי־יְהוָה֙ אִם־יִפֹּ֞ל מִשַּׂעֲרַ֤ת רֹאשׁוֹ֙ אַ֔רְצָה כִּֽי־עִם־אֱלֹהִ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ה הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וַיִּפְדּ֥וּ הָעָ֛ם אֶת־יוֹנָתָ֖ן וְלֹא־מֵֽת׃ (שמואל א יד, מה)‏		He has redeemed my soul in peace, so that none came near me;^[5] And the redeemed of HaShem shall return and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away;^[6] And the people said to Shaul, ‘Shall Yonatan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it; as HaShem lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has wrought with G!d this day.’ So the people rescued Yonatan, that he died not.^[7]
שלש שלומות דכתיב		Three verses with the word ‘peace’, namely,
‏בּוֹרֵ֖א נוב [נִ֣יב] שְׂפָתָ֑יִם שָׁל֨וֹם׀ שָׁל֜וֹם לָרָח֧וֹק וְלַקָּר֛וֹב אָמַ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה וּרְפָאתִֽיו׃ (ישעיהו נז, יט)‏ ‏וְר֣וּחַ לָבְשָׁ֗ה אֶת־עֲמָשַׂי֮ רֹ֣אשׁ השלושים [הַשָּׁלִישִׁים֒] לְךָ֤ דָוִיד֙ וְעִמְּךָ֣ בֶן־יִשַׁ֔י שָׁל֨וֹם׀ שָׁל֜וֹם לְךָ֗ וְשָׁלוֹם֙ לְעֹ֣זְרֶ֔ךָ כִּ֥י עֲזָרְךָ֖ אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וַיְקַבְּלֵ֣ם דָּוִ֔יד וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖ם בְּרָאשֵׁ֥י הַגְּדֽוּד׃ (דברי הימים א יב, יט)‏ ‏וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֥ם כֹּ֖ה לֶחָ֑י וְאַתָּ֤ה שָׁלוֹם֙ וּבֵיתְךָ֣ שָׁל֔וֹם וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ (שמואל א כה, ו)‏		Peace, peace, to him that is far off and to him that is near, says HaShem that created the fruit of the lips; and I will heal him;^[8] Then the spirit clothed Amasai who was chief of the captains: Yours are we, David, and on your side, you son of Yishai: Peace, peace, be unto you and peace be to your helpers, for your god helps you;^[9] Thus you shall say: All hail! and peace be both unto you, and peace be to your house, and peace be unto all that you have.^[10]

Related liturgy and liturgy-related work:

Notes:

in the presence of three friends ↩
Psalms 30:12 ↩
Jeremiah 31:13 ↩
Deuteronomy 23:6 ↩
Psalms 55:19 ↩
Isaiah 35:10 ↩
1 Samuel 14:45 ↩
Isaiah 57:19 ↩
1 Chronicles 12:19 ↩
1 Samuel 25:6 ↩

Teḥinnah for Honest Journal Reflections

Aharon Varady — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:02:32 +0000

writing in the journal” (credit: erink_photography, license: CC-BY 2.0)

May it be your will ה׳ אלֹהינוּ,
אלֹהי of my ancestors,
my ancestors who emigrated here whose journey I barely know,
my ancestors before them whose names I do not know,
that my intentions be revealed and known before me as clearly as they are before you,
that in the depths of my being,
thick and dark with the interconnected roots
seemingly impossible to disentangle without doing violence to the organic growth of living being,
my eye remains open,
my ear remains listening,
my nose and palate sense while breathing deeply,
an awareness of the life that transcends my life to touch all of life,
through my thoughts to my actions,
and through my actions to my thoughts,
regardless of my transgressions,
regardless of my holy beautiful unifications,
and through this awareness bring unity to the Imagination that is Manifest and the Manifestation of your Name that I imagine,
in peace and in lovingkindness,
in the name of all ישראל,
and in the name of all your creation,
its diverse multiplicity connected through the unique needs of every creature with desire
so as to express a Oneness parallel to a Oneness.^[1]

May my thoughts seek truth and integrity,
the humility that is commensurate with my ignorance,
the compassion that arises from the depths of awareness,
as depths speak to depths,^[2]
through desperation in embracing even Chaos
with patience
for the time permitting its resolution into Understanding.

Tekhina for honest journal reflections by Aharon Varady, from his journal.

Related liturgy and liturgy-related work:

No related liturgy and liturgy-related work

Notes:

cf. Zohar, Terumah §163 ↩
cf. Psalms 42:7 ↩