The mitzvah of healing : an anthology of Jewish texts, meditations, essays, personal stories, and rituals / edited by Hara E. Person ; [preface by Debbie Friedman].

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Person, Hara.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Healing--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Healing.

Spiritual healing.

Judaism--Prayers and devotions.

Judaism.

Judaism--Customs and practices.

Genre:

Prayers and devotions.

Prayers.

Devotional literature.

Physical Description:

xxi, 234 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : UAHC, [2003]

Summary:

How can I nourish my soul when my body is aching? How can I help heal those who are suffering? How can I heal in a Jewish context? These difficult questions, and many more, are addressed in The Mitzvah of Healing, a collection of material on healing from a Jewish perspective. Suffering comes in many forms, physical, emotional, and spiritual. Pain can be debilitating, not just for the body, but also for the soul. However, as Debbie Friedman writes in her preface to The Mitzvah of Healing, this book "presents us with the opportunity to participate in healing ourselves and others." In The Mitzvah of Healing, readers will be able to experience every facet of ewish healing, from historical perspectives to personal stories, from traditional texts to modern meditations. Also included are new rituals of healing for both women and men. Many of the leading writers, thinkers, and practitioners involved in Jewish healing, including Debbie Friedman, Rabbi Nancy Flam, Rabbi Simkha Weintraub, and psalmist Debbie Perlman, have contributed their thoughts, prayers, and experiences to this most important collection. Individuals, families, and communities will be enriched, inspired, and assisted on their paths toward healing by using The Mitzvah of Healing as a guidebook and source of inspiration.

Contents:

I. On Jewish Healing 1

The Jewish Healing Tradition in Historical Perspective / Laura J. Praglin 3

The Jewish Way of Healing / Rabbi Nancy Flam 16

Reflections on "Healing" in Contemporary Liberal Judaism / Rabbi Richard Hirsh 23

A Perspective on Jewish Healing / Naomi Mark 37

Can Prayer Heal? A View From Tradition / Erica Brown 42

Overcoming Our Pain: The Life Lessons of Dr. Bernie S. Siegel / Aron Hirt-Manheimer 48

Healing of Body; Healing of Spirit / Rabbi Nancy Flam 53

Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 5b from The Outstretched Arm 57

II. Personal Stories of Healing 65

Illness is My Teacher / Rabbi Nancy Wechsler-Azen, Rabbi Hirshel Jaffe, Tamara Green 67

Our Power to Touch and Heal / Debbie Friedman 76

How I Spent My Summer Vacation / Debbie Perlman z"l 80

Passage to Wholeness / Rabbi Eric Weiss 87

The Fabric of Life / Rabbi Julie Spitzer z"l 92

III. Traditional Healing Texts 95

Praying for Ourselves-Genesis 21; B'reishit Rabbah 53:14 97

Choose Life-Deuteronomy 30:12-15, 19 98

Offering Thanks for Recovery-Isaiah 38:9-20 99

Hope in God-Isaiah 40:31 101

Healing through Music-I Samuel 16 102

God and Prayer Are Always with Us in Our Healing-Midrash, Psalm 4:9 103

Trust in God-Psalm 20 / translated by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 104

Adonai is My Light-Psalm 27 / translated by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 105

Do Not Forsake Me-Psalm 38 / translated by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 107

In My Distress-Psalm 86 / translated by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 109

Do Not Hide Your Face-Psalm 102 / translated by Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 111

My Help Comes from God-Psalm 121 115

Suffering and Joy-Mishnah Avot 1:7 116

How Can We Tell When Prayer Works? - Babylonian Talmud, B'rachot 34b 117

IV. Healing Prayers, Poems, and Meditations 119

As the darkness lifts ... / Naomi Levy 121

Hope / Carol Backman 122

Courage / Anita Moise Rosefield Rosenberg 124

God, I need to know ... / Naomi Levy 125

Five: A Lullaby for Courage / Debbie Perlman z"l 126

A Prayer for Prayer / Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman 127

Be Strong and of Good Courage! / Author unknown 129

Bless the Healer / Author unknown 130

A Prayer for Strength / Author unknown 131

As we make our way ... / Naomi Levy 132

Open Us to Healing / Author unknown 133

Healing / Author unknown 134

I am hurting, God ... / Naomi Levy 135

I ask God for health ... / Author unknown 136

Nine: For Complete Healing / Debbie Perlman z"l 137

Psalm 28: For the Caregivers / Debbie Perlman z"l 138

On Recovery / Rabbi Chaim Stern z"l 139

Meditation / Anonymous 140

The world is new to us ... / Baal Shem Tov 141

Why does it take a traumatic event ...? / Ellen Y. Rosenberg 142

God, often I think ... / Janet Caro Murphy 143

Hineini / Barbara Wolpaw Drossin 144

Ten: For Healing / Debbie Perlman z"l 146

Mi Sheberach for Shalom Bayit / Rabbi Renni S. Altman 147

On the Loss of a Child / Rabbi Chaim Stern z"l 148

Upon Terminating a Pregnancy / Rabbi Donna Berman 149

Prayer after a Miscarriage / Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso 150

Healing after a Miscarriage / Merle Feld 151

Divorce is a true passage ... / Rabbi Vicki Hollander 152

A Song for Comfort before Surgery / Debbie Perlman z"l 153

HIV Positive and AIDS / Rabbi Karen Bender 154

A Special Prayer in Time of Illness / Central Synagogue Sisterhood 155

My Prayer / Marty Coleman 156

A Patient's Prayer / Author unknown 157

The Dew of Life / Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin 158

A Yizkor Meditation in Memory of a Parent Who Was Hurtful / Rabbi Bob Saks 160

Soften my hardened heart ... / Naomi Levy 161

Blessings and Prayers from When the Body Hurts, the Soul Still Longs to Sing / Edited by Rabbi Nancy Flam 162

Portal to Light / Norma U. Levitt 165

V. Rituals of Healing 167

Mastectomy: Twelve Months after Surgery

A Bathing Ritual for the End of Mourning / Jerilyn Goodman 169

Mikvah Ceremony for Laura / Laura Levitt, Rabbi Sue Ann Wasserman 174

A Ritual of Loss / Penina Adelman 182

Healing Ritual for Abused Women / Faith Rogow 193

Laying T'fillin: A Ritual of Emotional Healing for Men / Rabbi Allan C. Tuffs 196

Mikveh and Embodiment: Healing the Spirit after a Medical Scare / Rabbi Elliot M. Strom 203

Ready for Redemption: A Mikveh Experience of Personal Healing / Rabbi Steve Z. Leder 205

VI. Holidays and Healing 209

A Healing Resource for the Jewish High Holiday Season: Psalm 27 / Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 211

One Hundred Sixty-Five: In the Sukkah / Debbie Perlman z"l 214

Blessing and Extending the Light: A Ritual of Healing for the Eight Nights of Hanukkah / Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub 215

The Masks of Purim / Debbie Perlman z"l 220

Haggadah for Healing / Dr. Sherry Blumberg 222.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-233).

ISBN:

0807408565

9780807408568

OCLC:

51251670