By Cantor Susan Lewis-Friedman

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, a Chassidic Rabbi and great grandson of the Ba’al Shem Tov, teaches that everything cries out for the Glory of God.  Even if we are not necessarily thinking about it, we are called to draw near to God, to “shoot out our prayers,” even when we feel hopeless. Psalm 55 says that we must “cast our burdens upon God” and that if we can continue doing this, we will find happiness. 

There have been many times in my life when someone close to me was given the prognosis of death. My father, after a major car accident. My grandmother, a survivor of Ovarian cancer. Even I was told that I would never have children naturally. But because I had witnessed these miracles of answered prayers firsthand, I refused to believe anything except the desires of my heart. This is never to say that God always answers our prayers in the ways that we desire. But if we have the courage to do as Rabbi Nachman teaches, to try and find happiness in our prayers, to shoot our desires before the divine, we can find peace.  

Recently I learned of two people who were given a death sentence by doctors but have somehow begun to turn a corner in their prognosis. When hearing the news, members of the community decided to pray fervently, shooting their prayers of healing, imagining the individuals healthy and whole. To date, they are no longer facing death, rather, they are experiencing hope and a better prognosis. 

Again, while we do not always receive the answers to our prayers, by connecting to the Divine, drawing near to God, and casting our sadness and burdens upon God, we can find peace in our souls. 

Susan Lewis-Friedman is the Cantor of Temple Beth Zion and an educator with the Buffalo Jewish Federation. She will be officially installed beginning this evening during Shabbat evening services.