Partners In Prayer - Siddur

This morning I thought about how I have changed with this Pandemic.   I am now jogging on the other side of the path together with my son.  I have had to run away from other joggers to keep my distance.  I wait for someone to pass before charging into my elevator without making sure the coast is clear first.  Thank  You Hashem for this gift of training my level of awareness, and I want that to expand and continue in all I do!  Than You Hashem for teaching me to practice running away from things that may harm me. Thank  You Hashem for being My Teacher and showing me how to give  myself the space to truly make a choice between what is unlimited or limited. Thank You Hashem for providing me the ability to now use the space to honor my choices this way. Thank You Hashem for sharing the gift of "6 Feet Away"  as to actually be so Close to You.. Thank You Hashem for letting me see a fellow Jew  apply this "6 Feet distance" before act...

“How precious is Your kindness, oh God! The sons of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.”   I find that I no longer simply feel God hugging me when I wrap myself in these clothes of royalty, my Tallit, I picture God wrapping me in His wings protecting me from the dangers of this virus.

“May it be your will, Hashem , my Lord and the Lord of my forefathers, that the commandment of Tzitzit be as worthy before You as if I had fulfilled it in all its details, implications, and intentions, as well as the 613 commandments that are dependent upon it.”   An insignificant action, draping a garment over my head. And yet I believe it is possible for this simple act to have implications beyond my imagination .  I realize I am living in a time when it is impossible to be 100% careful with absolutely everything I touch, I breathe, and do. There will be doorknobs I don’t sterilize. There will be shoes I don’t spray thoroughly enough. There will be my computer that I may forget one day to wipe down. My phone....   Yet, I want this effort I’m putting in to protect me and my family, and my home to be as if I had done absolutely everything possible to protect everyone and everything. Anonymously shared

Each of my children and each of my grandchildren is responding differently to this situation each facing unique challenges and discovering new opportunities.  How wonderful to see each develop as an individual!  This is the true gift of Torah that speaks to the soul inside each individual. Written Anonymously

One of the great gifts of the broken patterns of observance, prayer and study is.. The opportunity to look at things a fresh, as if I am learning then for the first time or, rather, being taught them the first time by The Primary Teacher.   All of those now homeschooling their children have an opportunity to appreciate a new the idea of our being “ homeschooled“ by The Almighty. Written Anonymously  

As tempting as it is .. To resent circumstances.. To regret our inability to gather together in person and learn and pray. The words that we study,  The sentences we pray,  The ideas we discussed are not bitter,  but continue and in fact have increased their sweetness as the center us and remind us of that which is most important.   It has increased my sense of sweetness when studying Torah. Shared Anonymously

Using Torah as the Torah of life and applying it’s lessons and tools to not only survive but thrive in these challenging circumstances has redefined this Covid 12 for me. "Laasok Bidivrei Tora h" It  is the work that is necessary to use all that I learned in the most practical and tangible ways . Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

Perhaps I am no longer entering a special building over which I pause and reflect on the good fortune to have such a place.... Nor do I  pause and consider the hall I must have before entering  Now all of that has to take place within my own home.. Mah Tovu!! Being able to create this sacred good place in my home I have a gift now please I never before had. Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem Mah Tovu  *** Kavanas Machberes Avodas Hashem We have this special gift of Tov; which is , we can take a "Mah" and expand it into something better. 

So much of the care with which I have to interact with other human beings on a physical level, a mask, gloves on, hand sanitizer etc. and then I need to call people, and be in touch and let them know that there is someone who cares for them and is thinking of them  has not only repaired relationships but has enhanced this sense of connection to others.

And so many of the people with whom I am close have been forced by these circumstances to find inner strength and clarity in places inside in ways they never before could be seen.   It has changed our appreciation of the soul that lies within.. Shared Anonymously

I'm not sure about you, but I don't feel really ready to go back to normal. I'm not sure we should ever really be ready to go back to normal. I was thinking of the idea of teshuva, which means repentance or literally returning, going back. We go back when we've taken a wrong turn. When we've done something incorrect, we go back to correct what we've done. But when we've taken a right turn, we don't go back,  we go forward! And I can't help thinking but the world has taken so many turns to the right in many different areas. living in Israel, a country known for people who are impatient, I look around me and find people so much more patient. We see people around the world so much more caring of others. We see that we and others around us have slowed our life down from the frenetic pace at which we used to live. We're focusing more on local local communities, family home, we've invested or investing more in our hands. We've re calibrated ou...

Asher Yatzar , the Rofei Chol Basar Umaflee Laasos ,   "with the wisdom that the medicines that are already there ".  The fact that our bodies can fight it, the fact that we can diagnose so on and so forth...  Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

 When thinking of the Halachos of Niteelas Yadayim , (Washing your hands)  you don't , you can't touch your nose, your eyes, your mouth, your ears. So that because emptiness... , a sense of this invisible impurity, being able to damage me.  I remember  trying to explain this to someone who's just learning about Judaism. You say, well, you really can't touch your hand and you mean is it  for cleanliness? Well, part of it is that,  but in the morning it's different because there's this thing called the Ruach Ra .  And now people because they're dealing with an invisible enemy, it's so terrifying. It's so dangerous. All of a sudden, we can begin to understand a Ruach Rah as being those moments in which we consider ourselves invisible to God, invisible to other people, and even worse, invisible to ourselves. We can begin to think of the parts of ourselves that we are continuing to treat as being invisible and not needing our attention.  Comments sha...

I also found that for me, the Modah Ani has changed because so much of my life is based on interactions with other people. And although I'm still interacting with people, 14 hours a day at least. But a lot more of it is my own interaction . Or at least there's this sense of because I'm in one place. It's not, "I am waking up and there's this adventure of life I don't know what life will bring". It has shifted a little bit to what will I bring to my my day? And thank You for this opportunity . Thank You for trusting me. And thank You for giving me the ability to turn each day into an adventure!! Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

 Modeh Ani has changed at the height of the crisis , it was, wow, I'm fighting this invisible enemy , and have another day in which I'm waking up, and I'm relatively healthy. And for those who have survived this terrifying illness that thank God, by the way, it's different. You know, I've been in ICU and I've been in really bad shape. But they're, they were dealing with, you know, an infection. They were dealing with a neurological issue. It was defined, it was identified, and so they were able to do it and they were able to help me. This is much different. It's an invisible enemy so that that type of Modah Ani  is different. It's a different type of Modah Ani because every time my wife goes outside, and let's say she  has to go to the store, or she has to go to work, it's different because when she comes back in, there's always that sense. Oh my gosh, you know.... And so, there are reasons every time I bring in the mail, bring in a packa...

Yigdal Elokim Chai,   Viyishtabach Nimtza Viein Es  El Mitzeeuso.. We're all living without a sense of time. When will this end?  we don't know.  So all of a sudden  we changed !.  Our whole concept of time has changed.  Yoreh Gidulaso Umalchuso,   so that means Tefillah has changed.  Have I changed the way I daven?  Have a davened for this  to go away? Have I davened to learn what I'm supposed to be learning from this? Everything. Every single line of davening has changed. Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

“Adon Olam”  Has Adon Olam changed for you?  Because six months ago, you ask anybody,  we would say , we were masters of the universe ! We could conquer anything with our technology.  We could put out,  smash any disease with our medication and we could do we could figure out anything, right Yeah, come on.  Everything is changed. Everything has changed. Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

Hareini Mikabel Mitzvas Asei Shel Viahavta Lirayacha Kamocha ,   So I know I am not going to get sick, but I am going to wear a mask because I don’t want you to get others sick. I am going to wash my hands because I don’t want you to get sick.  Yeah, I can't live without a  Minyan , I can't, but I'm not going to do it because I don't want to set an example for other people.  Comments shared by Machberes Avodas Hashem

  "Due to Corona, my life slowed down". My experience has been that I am living in a pause .  Here in the pause I drop  all unnecessary   activity  and become a true existentialist .  Living this way I am more relaxed. In this space I become a better listener.  I applied this to my davening by consciously pausing at certain points . This made more space in which to be still and listen. This exercise  has brought my davening experience to a new level.  I sense that by doing this in prayer, I have begun to do it more naturally with the people around me.  Comments shared Anonymously      

Morning Brachos "Here is the way I read the morning Brachos when I'm feeling helpless and scared to believe in myself." פוקח עיוורים .  Hashem opens my eyes to see the ways we can go.  But I feel naked and don't know how I can get there. מלביש ערומים .  Hashem supplies me with Livushim to follow my path.  But I feel STUCK. מתיר אסורים .  Hashem helps me be freed from my old patterns, if I want to change.  But I feel bent and broken, kvetching in my old habits and beliefs. זוקף כפופים .  Hashem helps me stand straight and believe in myself.     But the world seems unconquerable, unknown. רוקע הארץ על המים .  Hashem prepares land for me that I can see and feel safe to begin the journey   But I don't know where to start from המכין מצעדי גבר .  Hashem prepares my steps for me. everything I need to succeed in my journey. I just need to discover and use them   But I don't know where and what and ...