The Mitzvah of Healing: An Anthology of Jewish Texts, Meditations, Essays, Personal Stories, and Rituals
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...
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In The Mitzvah of Healing, readers are able to explore every facet of Jewish healing, from historical perspectives to personal stories, traditional texts to modern meditations and rituals. In this valuable collection, which originated with the women's affiliate of the Reform Movement, numerous difficult questions are addressed concerning the healing of body, mind and soul. The thoughts, prayers and experiences of Debbie Friedman, Rabbi Nancy Flum, Rabbi Simkha Weintraub, Debbie Perlman and more contribute to this important collection of essays. Individuals, families and communities will be enriched, inspired and assisted on their paths of healing with this indispensable resource and guidebook.
ForewordixAcknowledgmentsxiIntroductionxviiI.On Jewish Healing1The Jewish Healing Tradition in Historical Perspective3The Jewish Way of Healing16Reflections on "Healing" in Contemporary Liberal Judaism23A Perspective on Jewish Healing37Can Prayer Heal? A View From Tradition42Overcoming Our Pain: The Life Lessons of Dr. Bernie S. Siegel48Healing of Body; Healing of Spirit53Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 5b from The Outstretched Arm57II.Personal Stories of Healing65Illness is My Teacher67Our Power to Touch and Heal76How I Spent My Summer Vacation80Passage to Wholeness87The Fabric of Life92III.Traditional Healing Texts95Praying for Ourselves-Genesis 21; B'reishit Rabbah 53:1497Choose Life-Deuteronomy 30:12-15, 1998Offering Thanks for Recovery-Isaiah 38:9-2099Hope in God-Isaiah 40:31101Healing through Music-I Samuel 16102God and Prayer Are Always with Us in Our Healing-Midrash, Psalm 4:9103Trust in God-Psalm 20104Adonai is My Light-Psalm 27105Do Not Forsake Me-Psalm 38107In My Distress-Psalm 86109Do Not Hide Your Face-Psalm 102111My Help Comes from God-Psalm 121115Suffering and Joy-Mishnah Avot 1:7116How Can We Tell When Prayer Works? - Babylonian Talmud, B'rachot 34b117IV.Healing Prayers, Poems, and Meditations119As the darkness lifts ...121Hope122Courage124God, I need to know ...125Five: A Lullaby for Courage126A Prayer for Prayer127Be Strong and of Good Courage!129Bless the Healer130A Prayer for Strength131As we make our way ...132Open Us to Healing133Healing134I am hurting, God ...135I ask God for health ...136Nine: For Complete Healing137Psalm 28: For the Caregivers138On Recovery139Meditation140The world is new to us ...141Why does it take a traumatic event ...?142God, often I think ...143Hineini144Ten: For Healing146Mi Sheberach for Shalom Bayit147On the Loss of a Child148Upon Terminating a Pregnancy149Prayer after a Miscarriage150Healing after a Miscarriage151Divorce is a true passage ...152A Song for Comfort before Surgery153HIV Positive and AIDS154A Special Prayer in Time of Illness155My Prayer156A Patient's Prayer157The Dew of Life158A Yizkor Meditation in Memory of a Parent Who Was Hurtful160Soften my hardened heart ...161Blessings and Prayers from When the Body Hurts, the Soul Still Longs to Sing162Portal to Light165V.Rituals of Healing167Mastectomy: Twelve Months after Surgery--A Bathing Ritual for the End of Mourning169Mikvah Ceremony for Laura174A Ritual of Loss182Healing Ritual for Abused Women193Laying T'fillin: A Ritual of Emotional Healing for Men196Mikveh and Embodiment: Healing the Spirit after a Medical Scare203Ready for Redemption: A Mikveh Experience of Personal Healing205VI.Holidays and Healing209A Healing Resource for the Jewish High Holiday Season: Psalm 27211One Hundred Sixty-Five: In the Sukkah214Blessing and Extending the Light: A Ritual of Healing for the Eight Nights of Hanukkah215The Masks of Purim220Haggadah for Healing222VII.Resources229
