Jewish Personal Prayer - Write And Read Out Loud

For me, and for many people who journal their thoughts and feelings, writing brings healing.

Today, an aspiring writer who wants to write a book about her dysfunctional life posted on Facebook. I commented: The writing is healing. The book is for you more than anyone else. Write to heal and live beyond your pain. Write to create your new life. Then, later, you can decide what to do with your writing. For now, just write.

Therapists and writing instructors often teach journaling for its healing potential. It's not a new idea. In fact, it's a very old, Biblical idea. Devarim 31:19 is considered the final Torah commandment, and the basis of an age-old requirement for each Jewish man to hand-write his own Torah scroll.

Deuteronomy 31:19 "Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel." Mechon-Mamre.org

"And now, write for yourselves this song, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that this song will be for Me as a witness for the children of Israel." Chabad.org 

Well, I am not a Jewish man. And I am not in a position to purchase kosher parchment and create a letter-perfect Torah scroll. So, I need to find meaning in the final Torah commandment, specifically for me, in my own life now.

One way I do it is hand-writing my Jewish personal prayers in spiral notebooks. Yes, old technology! I have boxes of spiral notebooks, and they are written testimony to my growth as a Jew.

Years ago, I began writing letters to other people, expressing my real feelings, you know, all those things there's never a good time or place to say. Of course I never mailed these letters. They were really for me, not for the other people.

Eventually, my letters all began, "Dear God," because I realized He's the only one capable of hearing the cries of my heart and soul. My letters to God have been the most effective writing I've ever done. I write them, pray them, and watch my life change.

My boxes of spiral notebook journals have not been violated, which is something many people worry about. They fear what would happen if somebody else reads their prayer journal. Keeping them in a safe place is ideal, but may seem impossible for you. 

I am the living embodiment of the change my spiral notebooks have created, so discarding them is certainly an option. Once written, it's not about the words on the page, it's about the change in me.

Truthfully, I could have burned the pages immediately after writing them.  The words on the paper turning to smoke and ashes would still have had the same effect because my relationship with God and prayer is not dependent on those pages.

So, here's an idea for effective private prayer journaling - write your letter to God (or someone else) and immediately read it out loud. When you both see and hear the words they are doubly effective in creating personal change. 

Writing your Jewish personal prayers and then speaking them out loud is one way to apply Deuteronomy 31:19 to your inner "child of Israel," living within you. You are teaching yourself when you write and read your prayer journal out loud.

Reading it silently robs you of hearing the words. God acknowledged our human need to hear spoken words at Mount Sinai. Hearing our own words works the same way.

Then, if needed, feel free to destroy the pages, because they have already served their highest and best purpose in you.

Janet Ruth Falon, author of The Jewish Journaling Book, says, "People instinctively realize that writing is an act of commitment, and that can be scary."

Writing your prayers as letters to God, reading them aloud as an act of prayer, and then letting them go (discarding, shredding or burning) may be a bit scary at first, but when you experience the genuine relief, you'll relax and enjoy it. 

If you like the idea of a prayer journaling program, Rae Shagalov is a calligrapher who created a beautiful, 30-Day creative prayer journal called The Secret Art of Talking to G-d:

Here's a paperback Jewish Reflection Journal with prompts for holidays and spiritual contemplation.

Finally, for the digital natives among us, online personal prayer journals can be built in Google docs or in Evernote. They are private, eco-friendly, free and available to read aloud anytime, on any device. Low-cost journaling apps are also available for PC, Mac and mobile devices. 

This is my fourth post and OneShul video exploring Jewish personal prayer on my own. It's just the beginning of my sharing about my own experience and the experiences I'm collecting from others. Please feel free to share in the comments, or leave a message on 903-642-1449.