Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D
Here is an example of a traditional Jewish prayer for healing:
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved; for thou art my praise (Jer. 1714). May it be thy will, O Lord my God, and the God of my fathers, speedily to send from heaven a perfect cure, both spiritual and physical, unto my sickness. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who art the faithful and merciful Healer of all flesh. Amen” (The Authorized Daily Prayer Book, Joseph Hertz, p. 1061)
Traditional
prayers are addressed to God, with the expectation that the divine will respond
favorably. Often, this does not happen. Therefore, many people have searched
for ways to reformulate the content of the prayers and, in fact, refocus them
in order to make better sense of them and, actually, derive some strength when
facing the unknown in a rational matter.
Here is a prayer of healing that I can recite with clear conscience as a religious naturalist who does not address but simply invoke the divine in life:
רוח העולם ומקור כל יקום
The spirit of the universe and the source of all existence
Life experiences show us that illness and suffering are not punishments, but an inevitable part of the fragility of life itself. Nature has provided our bodies with the means to keep us alive and the means to overcome pain and suffering. We hope these will prove effective when we are down, and that our doctors, nurses and other healers will have the knowledge and the wherewithal to strengthen us when our afflictions become too powerful for us to battle them alone.
We invoke God, the energy of the universe, and express our gratitude for every moment we experience good health and wellbeing, and our hope for a speedy recovery. We also think of our friends and relatives who are in pain. In particular, we think of…..(names here). We hope that they will be restored to good health, both physical and spiritual, in due time. We want them to know that we are thinking of them and will keep them in our mind continually. May they see release soon and may we continue to enjoy their company in better times. And for those with a terminal illness, we hope they will have the strength to leave life without much suffering and with a gentle sense of peace.
Amen.
