A Bridge and a Shelter - Daily Minyan Reading -October 30, 2023

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

October 30, 2023

Creator of this wondrous Universe,

In times of challenge and despair,

Guide us to recognize 

the miracles all around us:

Leaves changing color

A brilliant full moon 

surrounded by planets and stars, 

Parents and grandparents nurturing

Children and grandchildren 

in the ways of kindness and hope, 

People extending their hands to neighbors in need 

to provide food and shelter,

Family members and friends 

Celebrating milestones and new beginnings

And remembering loved ones present in spirit,

Peacemakers who remain dedicated in their tasks

Despite lingering hatred and unending conflict, 

Partners in progress who overcome divisions

To foster understanding, 

And all of us who see the spark of the divine 

In each other’s eyes.  

May Your everlasting love ever be 

a bridge and a shelter 

Within Your all-encompassing presence. 

Sparks of Decency - Daily minyan reading - October 24, 2023

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

October 24, 2023

Merciful Creator, 

Shine light for us in moments of darkness. 

Heighten our awareness 

to discover the glow of goodness

That remains and persists within the human soul. 

Enable us to offer comfort 

to those whose hearts are broken

As they confront the sudden absence of loved ones 

Once by their side. 

Strengthen us to find within ourselves 

and to cultivate within others

The sparks of decency 

that will bring order to lingering chaos

Resolution and peace to unending conflict

And hope to dispel overwhelming despair. 

As night descends and dawn brings a new day,

May we draw close to one another 

As neighbors, as friends, 

and as one family of humanity

Within Your enduring Oneness. 

Cast Your Light Upon this world - Daily Minyan Original reading - October 10, 2023

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

October 10, 2023

O God, 

Creator, Sustainer, Helper, and Refuge, 

Cast Your light upon this world 

So that all people will realize the blessings they can enjoy. 

Illuminate every corner of our hearts 

So that every soul and face will shine so brightly 

That we will sense a sacred and uniting spirit 

That will serve as a constant reminder 

Of the need for love and respect between us. 

Inspire us with the essence of Your teachings 

That lead us to act with decency 

To overcome hatred

To engender understanding 

To bring healing 

To foster hope. 

Blessed are You, 

The Oneness in this Universe, 

That binds one to another 

Within Your all-encompassing presence.

Face-to-face - October 9, 2023

“Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God.” 

So said Jacob in his brief reunion with his brother Esau. 

He had, it seems, just seen God, in some form, “face-to-face” 

In a biblical wrestling match that ended in an appropriate draw. 

Moses was described at the end of Deuteronomy as a prophet

Unlike any other 

Because “God knew him/singled him out “face-to-face,”

Another way of saying that God knew him well, or intimately. 

The Soul of the Universe was 

Inextricably connected to

The soul of a prophet

But not only to Moses. 

Some say we all exist within that Soul.

Some say, as Jacob did, that we can, if we try,

See a touch of that Soul in each soul. 

Some refuse to do that even when their faith

Teaches them to follow the example of Jacob or Moses. 

Seething, simmering hatred 

Encouraged by people seeking to expand 

their power and control

Spreads like a wildfire

And causes others to forget 

That there is a touch of that Sacred Soul 

In everyone. 

That is when violence and murder 

Become too easy an option

And the cost and the fallout 

Emotional and communal 

Is devastating. 

There are souls now seeking freedom, 

Having been cruelly and suddenly seized 

From their homes and families. 

There are souls seeking freedom 

That might be attainable 

Only when they see the humanity 

In friend and in foe. 

There is too much blindness to cooperation 

And a sense of commonality 

That precludes that freedom and the peace that would ensue. 

There is, however, still the possibility for 

The opening of eyes and hearts and minds 

So that we will see one another 

Face-to-face

As souls

In the care 

of the Eternal Soul 

That never gives up hope.

Open the Walls of our Hearts- Daily Minyan Reading - October 5, 2023

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The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah

October 5, 2023

God of Wonders,

Our guide along our journey 

From slavery to freedom, 

Our source of shelter and light

In the wilderness, 

Accompany us as we near 

The conclusion of our Sukkot celebration. 

As the year continues to unfold,

Remind us to honor the natural world around us

And to open the walls of our hearts

To the stranger and to people in need of our support. 

Strengthen us to defend and preserve liberty

Among those who have it 

And for those who desperately seek it. 

Grant us blessing for our work 

And for our nights and days

As we live on this earth 

In our lively corner of Your vast creation

Infused with Your Oneness 

That unites us inside every moment.