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Two Tefillot to Enhance Your Life!
Rabbi Aaron Gaber, Beth Judah, Ventnor, NJ (Reprinted from the synagogue
bulletin)
In this world of miracles, we sometimes dwell on the larger miracles of parting
of the Red Sea or the miracles of one cruse of oil lasting for eight days when
it should have lasted for only one. We should not forget the daily miracle of
waking up in the morning and the miracle of our body working the way it should.
For many years now, I have recited two brachot (blessings) every morning which
remind me of those seemingly small but incredibly significant miracles of waking
up and acknowledging that my body works the way it is supposed to work. Here are
the brachot:
Asher Yatzar
Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe who with wisdom fashioned
the human body, creating openings, arteries, glands and organs, marvelous in
structure, intricate in design. Should but one of them, by being blocked or
opened, fail to function, it would be impossible to exist. Praised are You,
Lord, healer of all flesh who sustains our bodies in wondrous ways.
Elohai N'shama
The soul which You, my God, have given me is pure. Your created it, You formed
it, You breathed it into me; You keep my body and soul together. One day You
will take my soul from me, to restore it to me in life eternal. So long as this
soul is within me, I acknowledge You, Lord my God, my ancestors' God. Master of
all creation, sovereign of all souls. Praised are you, Lord, who restores the
soul to the lifeless, exhausted body.
These brachot are my daily reminders that it is truly a miracle to be alive, to
be able to set out each day and accomplish the tasks before
me. These brachot remind me that there is an inextricable connection
between my physical self and my soul, one that needs to be nurtured and
developed. If either part does not work, then I am no longer alive and no longer
who I am.
Our goal in prayer is to develop our relationship with God, with each other and
with ourselves. Each morning when I recite these two brachot, I am reminded of
how blessed I am to be able to walk, talk, live and do everything that I do in a
day. Each morning, I am reminded that while I may be tired at night, I am
refreshed after a good sleep and I can not only face the day to come, but I can
use the day to my best ability because I am healthy in body and soul. Even when
I have not been healthy, these brachot have reminded me that it is possible for
me to work to become healthy once again.
I have found great comfort in these brachot and I hope you will as well. Create
a copy of the brachot so you can recite them each day.
Take the sheet and display it in a place where you will see it every morning.
Attach it to your mirror, to the fridge or your closet door.
Recite these blessings everyday in Hebrew or in English, whichever is more
comfortable. As you recite them everyday, you will not only find comfort in the
tefilah, but you will develop added energy to make each day better. (These two
tefillot are found in Siddur Sim Shalom, p. 6 and p. 8)
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