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April 2, 2004
Healing power of prayer
Temple Sholom has a group of members who say a Mi Shebeirach every
morning for people who are ill.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
It was just last May when Rochelle Brown's father, Larry Brandt,
was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The next several months saw Brown and her husband, Grant, spend
hours upon hours with Brandt in the hospital as he went through
a variety of procedures aimed at extending his life. The Browns
spent an equal amount of time praying, a process that Rochelle said
played a vital role in helping her cope with the eventual loss of
her father later that summer.
"For me, my strength came in praying," she said. "Through
the whole thing, during any procedure he had, I would just put my
hand on his picture and I would stand there and pray to Hashem."
Brown said she would even spend entire nights praying, asking God
to help her father get through to the next day. However, it was
near the end of his life that the power of prayer played the most
significant role for the Browns.
In palliative care and under heavy sedation, Brandt had made it
clear to his family that he was ready to go. Late one night, the
Browns sat together in a hospital chair and closed their eyes for
some rest. What they admitted to each other the next day was that,
instead of sleeping, they both reached out to God to ask for the
same thing.
"I said, 'Hashem, you've done all you can do. I think it's
time that you really need to take him now.' And within six hours
he was gone," Rochelle said.
Like many others in the Jewish community, the Browns don't consider
themselves to be highly observant/religious. However, she has always
felt that she has a dialogue with God and she believes very strongly
in the healing power of prayer.
At Temple Sholom Synagogue, every few months, Rabbi Philip Bregman
joins anywhere from 10 to 25 congregants who are hoping that their
prayers will also make a difference. They might be sick, know someone
very close to them who is sick, or maybe they're stumbling over
a significant bump on one of life's rough roads. Whatever the crisis
may be, they have decided to spend a few moments with God as part
of a special healing service.
"Healing has been a very integral part of Jewish tradition,"
Bregman explained. "You don't have to go to other traditions
to find stuff that is already in the Jewish tradition. It's just
a matter of uncovering it."
The service, put together by Bregman and his wife, Cathy, is a weeknight
service that features some regular prayers combined with a selection
of songs and prayers by popular Jewish musician Debbie Friedman.
One of the highlights of the healing service, the rabbi explained,
is the guided imagery meditation that Cathy Bregman leads. Another
key to the service, he believes, is the sense of community that
the participants might be looking for during their time of need.
"The elements of prayer are far beyond just words," he
said. "There is the setting, the mood and there is the aspect
of the kehila, the congregation and the whole concept that
you're not alone.
"What gets satisfied by different individuals depends on who
they are, what they are looking for and what they need," he
continued. "Either someone [personally] ... is in a physical,
spiritual or emotional crisis, they have a friend, neighbor or relative
who is in a crisis or they are caregivers who are being worn down.
They may be professionals or they may be spouses or children who
are looking after chronically ill, long-term Alzheimer's or cancer
patients."
Ever since Temple Sholom started holding healing services in the
1980s, they have been collecting resources for their Centre for
the Healing of the Soul. The centre, Bregman explained, contains
hundreds of books and audio tapes that deal with issues of healing.
Every item that comes to the centre is reviewed by Cathy Bregman
to ensure that they are appropriate for Jewish healing.
Many congregations in the community regularly lead a special congregational
prayer called a Mi Shebeirach, a prayer for those who are
sick. At Temple Sholom, when a Mi Shebeirach is said in someone's
honor, a special card is sent to the sick person, informing them
that the congregation has prayed for them.
"The studies tell us very clearly that individuals who know
that people are, in fact, praying for them have a higher response
rate than those who don't know," Bregman said. "It's one
thing to do a Mi Shebeirach and it's another thing to make sure
that they are made aware of it wherever possible."
Temple Sholom also has a chevra tefilah, a prayer group of
two to three dozen members who take time every morning to say a
Mi Shebeirach for someone.
"Usually crisis is an opportunity for movement," Bregman
said. "It is an opportunity to look at a different way of relating
to something and people understand that. Judaism has long believed
in the efficacy and the power of prayer."
Temple Sholom also holds a healing service on Yom Kippur, before
the afternoon service begins. Bregman said that they normally have
200-250 congregants attend that service.
Friedman, who has composed a long list of songs appropriate for
a healing service, will bring her voice and her music to the Chan
Centre May 18. A presentation of the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation,
tickets are $36 before May 10 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster
or by calling 604-261-5550.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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