The Mi Sheberach prayer, traditionally recited for someone who is ill, asks God for refuah shleima, a complete healing, and then specifies two aspects: refuat hanefesh, healing of the soul/spirit/whole person, and refuat haguf, cure of the body. "God is our refuge and our strength.". This prayer pleads for the force that created this universe to protect the person who is terminally ill and protect them as parents would. ", What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul. A Prayer For a Miracle. Bless those who have survived and heal their memories of trauma and devastation. This link will open in a new window. When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them. You hold my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. Mourner's Kaddish | Shiva, Jewish Mourning Ancient Judaism acclaimed God as source of health and illness, with sickness a divine-mandated punishment for individual and communal sins. A persons days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. It seemed too rosy, the liturgical equivalent of wishing the dying person a speedy recovery! In Parashat Nitzavim, the Torah portion we recite on Yom Kippur, Moses commands the Israelites to choose life. But does this decree require that we deny death, even when it is at our doorstep? Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them. Jewish tradition regards every moment of human life as infinitely valuable. Jewish Ritual, Reality and Response at the End of Life: A Guide to Caring for Jewish Patients and Their Families by Rabbi Mark A. Popovsky, End of Life: Jewish Perspectives By Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Advanced Illness and Orthodox Jewish Law: Approaches to Communication and Medical Decision Making. The hours, days, or weeks leading up to a death are usually stressful for everyone. Hear our prayer. And the mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children, A little patience and we are there. So the children climbed, and when they reached the top they said, We could not have done it without you, Mother. And the mother, when she lay down that night, looked up at the stars and said, This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of difficulty.
jewish prayers for the sick and dying