Book Review
Grief is such a complex subject and process that there are countless valid and valuable perspectives on it. Many people have explored these perspectives and gone on to write books that offer comfort and healing to people who are grieving.
One such book is Talking To God: Personal Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, and Celebration, by Rabbi Naomi Levy. She is the founder and leader of Nashuva, a groundbreaking Jewish spiritual outreach movement based in Los Angeles. Levy was named one of the top-50 rabbis in America by Newsweek and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today show and NPR. She was also in the first class of women to enter the Jewish Theological Seminary’s rabbinical school and the first woman in her movement to head a congregation on the West Coast.
One beautiful example of the prayers in her book is A Prayer When a Parent Dies. It may touch the heart of those grieving the loss of a parent. Those grieving other losses may find similar comfort in her other prayers.
A Prayer When A Parent Dies
I miss you. You gave me my life. You were my protector, my teacher, my moral compass, my comfort. I feel so alone without you. No one worries about me the way you did. No one loves me the way you did.
Please forgive me for the times I caused you pain, and for the times I took you for granted. I can’t begin to fathom all the sacrifices you made for my sake.
I want to thank you for all the ways you blessed my life. Nothing can replace the gaping hole your death has left in my life. But mixed together with all my sadness, there is a great joy for having known you.
I will remember your smile, your touch. I will remember your laughter, your kindness, your generosity, your determination, your love.
Thank you for the time we shared, for the love you gave, for the wisdom you spread. I will always treasure the lessons you taught me. I will carry them with me all the days of my life. I am so proud to be your child.
May God watch over you and bless you, with gentleness and with love. As you blessed me. Rest in peace. Amen.
Learn more about Rabbi Levy here and about Talking To God here.