Thirty three hundred years ago, Moses saw his sister's pain and pleaded: El na r'fah na la - Oh God, please heal her. Years later, the prophet Jeremiah cried out: "Heal me, Adonai, so I shall be healed, save me so I shall be saved." Still later, the authors of our prayer books incorporated healing prayers into our liturgy and they became staples of our worship. In 1988, Debbie Friedman published her version of a Mi Shebeirach for healing and now it is sung in synagogues and churches around the world. Two years ago, we started publishing in our Friday night announcements the names of those who were in need of special healing prayers.

This month, we will continue to innovate with healing prayers by conducting a special S'lichot Healing Service on Saturday night (8-10p.m.), September 20. S'lichot is recognized as the formal beginning to the High Holy Day season. It is an evening when we shift our focus away from the everyday tasks that so often consume us and toward a higher spiritual plane. At this time of year, we prepare ourselves for the writing and sealing of the Books of Life and Death. We contemplate the past twelve months, make amends to those we have wronged, and consider the year ahead.

This year, we will incorporate a healing service into our S'lichot observance as a way of heeding the traditional teaching that forgiveness and acceptance are the first necessary steps toward a healing of mind, body and soul. The evening will be filled with song, reading, meditation and silence. Most importantly, it will be filled with hands reaching out and hearts opening up to one another. If you or a loved one are in need of a healing prayer or the comfort that comes with community, please join us for a very special and spiritual evening. If, instead, you are experiencing the wholeness and fullness of mind, body, and soul, we encourage you to join us as well to share your strength and blessings.

May we all celebrate a new year of health and wholeness.

L'Shalom,

Rabbi Ted Riter

When I feel tainted, God, remind me that I am holy.

When I feel weak, teach me that I am strong

When I am shattered, assure me that I can heal.

When I am weary, renew my spirit.

When I am lost, show me that You are near.

Amen.

[Rabbi Naomi Levy]