Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 15, 2022

On Oct. 5, the highest of holy days in Judaism, Yom Kippur, we prayed. It was a day of prayer, reflection and atonement for a clean slate.

Prayer is inclusive to all of us as humans. We all have the right to pray: For ourselves, for our loved ones, our friends and neighbors. There is a power in the sheer positivity of prayer, no matter whom the prayers energy is directed toward. This has an immediate extension to health and well-being as well, as asserted by numerous medical publications.

Over 85% of individuals confronting a major illness pray. Prayer is one of the most utilized alternative therapies in health care today.

Prayer is a positive force, reduces stress levels and reduces anxiety. Prayer is empowering, and healing.

Dr. Herbert Benson, a Harvard-based cardiovascular specialist, has developed the term, the relaxation response to illustrate the health benefits of prayer, which is a form of meditation. This relaxation response entails: decreased metabolism, lower blood pressure, lower pulse, slower brain waves, peace of mind and a more calm respiration cycle.

In closing, I will leave you with some powerful excerpts, and reflections taken from the Oct. 5 service, from Mishkan Hanefesh.

Teach us the language of healing.

May our moments of joy surpass our times of struggle.

May we taste the sweetness of each precious day.

May the work of our hands bring fulfillment.

Dr. Seth Levine writes about internal medicine for the Cleveland Jewish News. He is an internal medicine physician at the UH Internal Medicine Center in Independence.

Link:

The power of prayer - Cleveland Jewish News

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