Prayers Teach Values, Gratitude

When it comes to prayers, Jews have it covered. We have a prayer for everything—from the morning ritual Modeh Ani, which thanks God for returning our soul to us, to the bedtime blessing Shema Yisrael. In addition to the traditional blessings over food and the holidays, special prayers can be learned for each gift that God gives us throughout the day. For example, there’s a prayer for when we wear new clothes for the first time, hear a booming thunderstorm, smell the fragrant scent of a magnolia blossom, reunite with a long-lost friend, and so on. Even when we notice a strange-looking person or animal, we can say, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, who varies creation…”

Observant Jews pray in formal worship services three times a day, every day. But even if we aren’t Orthodox Jews, and our knowledge of Jewish liturgy is limited to the high holidays in synagogue and an occasional Shabbat service at home, we still have plenty of opportunities through our children to make prayer part of our everyday lives.

In fact, prayer is an excellent way to instill values in children and increase their awareness of God all around them. All prayers start with “Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melach HaOlam, which translates to “Blessed are You, Lord (or Eternal) our God, Ruler of the Universe…” Then we add the specific prayer to each of life’s pleasures:

For example, when we pick the season’s first ripe peach in the orchard and bite into the sweet, juicy flesh, we say the shehecheyanu, the prayer for special moments. Sheheheyanu vekiyemanu vehigi’anu lazman hazeh, which means, “Who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this time.”

When we delight in the colorful arch of a rainbow in the sky, we learn how to say:
Zocher habrit, vene’eman bevrito, vekayam et maamaro, which means, “Who remembers the covenant (with Noah) and is faithful to the covenant and loyal to the promise.”

When my family gazes at the glorious golden sunset that melts into the ocean at Siesta Beach, we appreciate how God paints the sky reddish orange by reciting Oseh Maaseh Veresheet, which means, “Who makes the wonders of creation.”

In other words, prayer is not something that we surrender to when life gets rough or when we feel inspired. That would be like playing in the World Series before ever hitting a baseball for the first time. For Jews, prayer is exercise for the soul. In order to fully understand and appreciate our gratitude to God, we must train our whole lives through study and practice. Judaism also teaches us to not just recite the prayers, but “be” a blessing through our actions.

For me, the inspiration to “be” Jewish comes from my children. I witness how prayer connects them to their faith and empowers them to feel like they have a sense of control in a world that is often uncontrollable. I came to this realization recently when my 11-year-old son Jack reached for the healing prayer mi she-berakah when his uncle was sick in the hospital. In a nutshell, the prayer means “may there be a complete recovery of mind, body and spirit.” The prayer in Hebrew is Mi shebeirach avoteinu v’imoteinu, hu yivarech v’yirapei et ha-cholim. Vayishlach lehem refuah sh’leimah, refuat ha-nefesh v’refuat ha-guf. Jack prays in Hebrew for the same reason that the Talmud stresses the importance of praying in the language of Jewish thought.

“When I read a prayer in Hebrew, whether it’s the v’havta or avot,” I feel like I’m talking directly to God,” says Jack, a third year Hebrew school student. “When I think of prayers, I think of Hebrew and not words in English.”

Although the Talmud allows us to pray in any language that we can understand, traditional Judaism encourages us to pray in Hebrew. Why? Because if we pray in Hebrew, we have a better chance of not forgetting the language in which the covenant of God was made. Plus, Hebrew links Jews all over the world. In fact, another thing that brings Jews together is song. Many Jews, including my own son, agree that when we sing or chant the blessings, we get into the proper meditative state. For Jack, who also loves hip-hop music, the melody helps him learn and eventually memorize the prayers.

“I always know what’s coming next when I chant a prayer in Hebrew, which is helpful if I get lost or flip a page accidentally. Plus, singing prayers is more fun,” says Jack, as he dangles upside down on the couch and jams on his air guitar. “Hebrew rocks!” (By the way, in times like this, I question whose son this is).

In addition to being a fun thing to do, prayer is a hands-on way for children to cope with their worries and fears. Another example is when my seven-year-old daughter Sari asked me to post a mezuzah in her bedroom. You see, the dream-catcher that she made out of a web of yarn failed to chase away her nightmares. Needless to say, I was in awe that she had the insight to ask for a prayer to help her feel safer. She may not fully understand the Torah portion written on the tiny, parchment scroll that is tucked inside the mezuzah, but that’s okay for now. If the magic of a Jewish prayer helps my daughter sleep through the night, I’m eternally thankful.

To learn more about children’s Jewish prayers, check our your traditional prayer books, as well as your temple library and favorite bookstores. So move over Dr. Seuss, and make room for a few children’s prayer books in your home library. You never know when you’ll need a prayer to turn to.

When it comes to prayers, Jews have it covered. We have a prayer for everything—from the morning ritual Modeh Ani, which thanks God for returning our soul to us, to the bedtime blessing Shema Yisrael. In addition to the traditional blessings over food and the holidays, special prayers can be learned for each gift that God gives us throughout the day. For example, there’s a prayer for when we wear new clothes for the first time, hear a booming thunderstorm, smell the fragrant scent of a magnolia blossom, reunite with a long-lost friend, and so on. Even when we notice a strange-looking person or animal, we can say, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, who varies creation…”

Observant Jews pray in formal worship services three times a day, every day. But even if we aren’t Orthodox Jews, and our knowledge of Jewish liturgy is limited to the high holidays in synagogue and an occasional Shabbat service at home, we still have plenty of opportunities through our children to make prayer part of our everyday lives.

In fact, prayer is an excellent way to instill values in children and increase their awareness of God all around them. All prayers start with “Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melach HaOlam, which translates to “Blessed are You, Lord (or Eternal) our God, Ruler of the Universe…” Then we add the specific prayer to each of life’s pleasures:

For example, when we pick the season’s first ripe peach in the orchard and bite into the sweet, juicy flesh, we say the shehecheyanu, the prayer for special moments. Sheheheyanu vekiyemanu vehigi’anu lazman hazeh, which means, “Who has given us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this time.”

When we delight in the colorful arch of a rainbow in the sky, we learn how to say:
Zocher habrit, vene’eman bevrito, vekayam et maamaro, which means, “Who remembers the covenant (with Noah) and is faithful to the covenant and loyal to the promise.”

When my family gazes at the glorious golden sunset that melts into the ocean at Siesta Beach, we appreciate how God paints the sky reddish orange by reciting Oseh Maaseh Veresheet, which means, “Who makes the wonders of creation.”

In other words, prayer is not something that we surrender to when life gets rough or when we feel inspired. That would be like playing in the World Series before ever hitting a baseball for the first time. For Jews, prayer is exercise for the soul. In order to fully understand and appreciate our gratitude to God, we must train our whole lives through study and practice. Judaism also teaches us to not just recite the prayers, but “be” a blessing through our actions.

For me, the inspiration to “be” Jewish comes from my children. I witness how prayer connects them to their faith and empowers them to feel like they have a sense of control in a world that is often uncontrollable. I came to this realization recently when my 11-year-old son Jack reached for the healing prayer mi she-berakah when his uncle was sick in the hospital. In a nutshell, the prayer means “may there be a complete recovery of mind, body and spirit.” The prayer in Hebrew is Mi shebeirach avoteinu v’imoteinu, hu yivarech v’yirapei et ha-cholim. Vayishlach lehem refuah sh’leimah, refuat ha-nefesh v’refuat ha-guf. Jack prays in Hebrew for the same reason that the Talmud stresses the importance of praying in the language of Jewish thought.

“When I read a prayer in Hebrew, whether it’s the v’havta or avot,” I feel like I’m talking directly to God,” says Jack, a third year Hebrew school student. “When I think of prayers, I think of Hebrew and not words in English.”

Although the Talmud allows us to pray in any language that we can understand, traditional Judaism encourages us to pray in Hebrew. Why? Because if we pray in Hebrew, we have a better chance of not forgetting the language in which the covenant of God was made. Plus, Hebrew links Jews all over the world. In fact, another thing that brings Jews together is song. Many Jews, including my own son, agree that when we sing or chant the blessings, we get into the proper meditative state. For Jack, who also loves hip-hop music, the melody helps him learn and eventually memorize the prayers.

“I always know what’s coming next when I chant a prayer in Hebrew, which is helpful if I get lost or flip a page accidentally. Plus, singing prayers is more fun,” says Jack, as he dangles upside down on the couch and jams on his air guitar. “Hebrew rocks!” (By the way, in times like this, I question whose son this is).

In addition to being a fun thing to do, prayer is a hands-on way for children to cope with their worries and fears. Another example is when my seven-year-old daughter Sari asked me to post a mezuzah in her bedroom. You see, the dream-catcher that she made out of a web of yarn failed to chase away her nightmares. Needless to say, I was in awe that she had the insight to ask for a prayer to help her feel safer. She may not fully understand the Torah portion written on the tiny, parchment scroll that is tucked inside the mezuzah, but that’s okay for now. If the magic of a Jewish prayer helps my daughter sleep through the night, I’m eternally thankful.

To learn more about children’s Jewish prayers, check our your traditional prayer books, as well as your temple library and favorite bookstores. So move over Dr. Seuss, and make room for a few children’s prayer books in your home library. You never know when you’ll need a prayer to turn to.

“Mishegas of Motherhood” is the creation of Ellie S. Grossman, a St. Louis freelance writer and stay-at-home-mom who never stays home. Her stories are inspired by the real life of her family, including her two children, toy poodle named Luci, and her husband, but not necessarily in that order. Feel free to send any comments, prayers or recipes to ellie@mishegasofmotherhood.com.