Given the interest again in mental health issues sparked by the death of Robin Williams, here is a me’sh’berach for congregations to read for those dealing with issues of mental health. It is taken from a healing service and study published in Caring for the Soul: R’fuat Ha Nefesh: a mental health resource and study guide. (URJ Press, NYC. 2003) p. 50, 51
May God who blessed our fathers and mothers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah,
grant blessed healing to those members of our congregation and members of our families who struggle with mental illness.
May God be with them in their illness and give them patience, hope and courage,
May God so endow their attending physicians and therapists with insight and skill that they be soon restored to health and vigor of body and mind.
May God be with their families too and grant them patience, hope and courage.
May God remove their anger and wipe away their feelings of guilt.
May God endow them with a full life and with love that they may too enjoy health and vigor of body and mind.
May God bind up their wounds that they may enjoy many a simcha and thank God for the blessings of health, let us say Amen.*
*(from a service/study written in memory of J. Frank by Rabbi Margaret Wenig and Dr. Miriam Frank.)
Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.Min, is the Founder and Director of www.jewishsacredaging.com. Rabbi Address served for over three decades on staff of the Union for Reform Judaism; first as a Regional Director and then, beginning in 1997, as Founder and Director of the URJ’s Department of Jewish Family Concerns and served as a specialist and consultant for the North American Reform Movement in the areas of family related programming. Rabbi Address was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1972 and began his rabbinic career in Los Angeles congregations. He also served as a part time rabbi for Beth Hillel in Carmel, NJ while regional director and, after his URJ tenure, served as senior rabbi of Congregation M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, NJ from 2011-2014.
A beautiful prayer that speaks to so many true feelings and issues of a most stigmatized illness.Thank you so much. For once again guiding us to be more authentic.