To be at one with the Universe

13 Elul 5774

Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav used to pray:

Grant me the ability to be alone;
may it be my custom to go outdoors each day
among the trees and grass - among all growing things
and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer,
to talk with the One to whom I belong.
May I express there everything in my heart,
and may all the foliage of the field -
all grasses, trees, and plants -
awake at my coming,
to send the powers of their life into the words of my prayer
so that my prayer and speech are made whole
through the life and spirit of all growing things,
which are made as one by their transcendent Source.
May I then pour out the words of my heart
before your Presence like water, O Lord,
and lift up my hands to You in worship,
on my behalf, and that of my children!


When we have the chance to be alone, outdoors, in the quiet beauty of nature, we often feel rejuvenated. We want nothing more than to simply walk outside, to sit and to reflect, to breath in the restorative power of the universe. Reb Nachman's prayer was a song to creation, reflecting the power of the universe to bring us a sense of peace.

As this month of Elul unfolds before us, it seems as if the universe may be reflecting our need for such restoration.  The hot, at times brutal summer begins to fade just a bit, and the cooler fall breezes come rolling in.  The leaves begin to change, we sense a turning in the universe around us.  So, too, should we seek that turning within.  

May we each find the time and the ability to be alone, to go outdoors among the trees and grass, among all growing things, and there, to be alone, and to enter into prayer, to talk with the One to whom we belong.


Rabbi Jim Bennett