Personal+Prayers+2011-12

Personal Prayers Dear Eighth Graders, In preparation for Yom Kippur, please think about what you pray for or hope for. Write a poem of at least 12 lines, rhymed or unrhymed, expressing your thoughts. Sign it with your first name and last initial. Be sure to leave a space between your writing and the writing of your classmates. Wishing you all a Shana Tova.

My Personal Prayer Anna L. This year I pray for many a thing This year I want my heart to sing, I pray for spirit that Yom Kippur gives, I pray that everyone I love lives This time I pray for change, A time for people to rearrange To finally feel the light of community Making people feel loved should be our duty Erasing all evil in the world Even if their lives have hurled Out the idea of love and care We should love people everywhere No matter what race, orientation, religion or creed The warmth of love is all we need So this year I pray that everyone is equal That every sin shouldn't have a sequel That all those I love will stay well And have a sweet new year, Shana Tova, as well

My Personal Prayer… By Ruthie.S

Yom Kippur, a holiday I do not really celebrate. But there are some things for myself, I hate. Being mean to my family, To my cat or dog. To my sister, Don’t worry the list isn’t very long. Will not fasting really hurt my fate? Do I have to go to synagogue? I suppose this holiday is in good sense. After all, today is for repentance So I suppose I could go for an hour or two, Because I want to apologize for anything I did to hurt you. I hope that this year will be a good one, Filled with happy times and memories So maybe next year I won't have anything to repent for. Next year on Yom Kippur.

THE NEW ME by David T  IN YEARS PAST, BEFORE THE FAST I WOULD SIT AND THINK OF EVERY EXPECTATION I HAD NOT PASSED OF EVERY PROMISE I HAD NOT FULFILLED OF EVERY QUESTION I HAD NOT ASKED AND HOW I PLANNED TO CHANGE THAT BUT ALAS YEAR AFTER YEAR THINGS DID NOT CHANGE UNTIL ONE YEAR REALITY CAME FOR A VISIT REALITY TOLD ME THAT I COULDN’T JUST WAIT FOR SOMEONE TO HELP ME BUT THAT I HAD TO PICK MYSELF UP FROM POINT A AND MOVE TO POINT B  AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE DONE HERE I AM, YEARS LATER RENEWED CALM AND COLLECTED AND NOW WITH FAST APPROACHING SPEEDILY I LOOK AGAIN AT ALL I HAVE PROMISED AT ALL I HAVE PLANNED AND AT ALL I HAVE AND I SEE SOMETHING GOOD SHANAH TOVAH

The new and improved me
Zachary E. S. This year I pray For all my mistakes of years passed to go away This year there will be a new me For I am not perfect you see I have made several mistakes From headaches that were fakes Sometimes swearing And other times not caring Then pretending to be a wiz To then failing a quiz. From Tishrei on I will Say less things that kill Stop pretending I’m down Because I will come around To make others happy Even if they’re mad at me And within my new state of mind I hope that you will find A new me.

Jacob S. __This year I__ This year I pray for a new me I pray for Israel I pray for happiness I pray for health I pray for Yom Kippur to go well I pray for good grades I pray for a good year I pray for my parents I pray for my brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles I pray for the poor I pray for the homeless I pray to repent All these things I pray for, are for the world, people around me, and myself This is what I shall pray for this Yom Kippur

My personal prayer Tali G

My personal prayer is not just for me It’s for everyone who I care about so deeply My friends and family all over the world Wishing they're safe wherever they are Healthy and able to run and jump Without their heart making a thump I pray that I will make a change Inspire people and help them exchange Love and friendship throughout the world And helping them not mess up and make a twirl I pray that life will turn out just right And that everyone around me will not slip out of sight

__ What I Hope For __ Nita R. What do I hope for, or pray, you may ask? But for me to answer is not an easy task. I am not one to usually pray, But hope for things I may. I hope to make improvements in my personality, And by doing so, a better person I hope I will be. I hope that the people I have wronged, Will forgive me so we can move along. Last, but not least, of my hopes for this year, Is to understand what confuses me, Or at least to get near. A bit vague this last part may sound, And general, but useful I have found. Tonight is when the fasting starts, And I will go into it with an open heart.

Amos Epelman 10/7/11 The Story of Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the day of repentance. It is the day that all my vows go away. It is the day that all my sins that I have made vanish. It is the day that the oaths that I made disappear to thin air. It is the day that everything that is for leisure becomes secondary. It is the day that I can give forgiveness to all friends. Why can I not have this day every day? The answer to this I do not know but I know that praying every day is a way of forgiving. But this is the day where everything is forgiven. But, most importantly, this is the day G-d forgives me.

__Forgiveness__ Gabrielle H.

I have done things that I am not proud of Everyone has, it’s part of life On Yom Kippur I pray for forgiveness From friends and family When I wake up I will be relieved Knowing that the world is starting over A new year, new mistakes New promises, new prayers I look around and think He made a mistake She made a mistake This year I pray to make mistakes Everyone makes mistakes Ones that you can fix Ones that you can’t fix Either way you hope for forgiveness From your friends and family People ask you for forgiveness All you can do when you are asked for forgiveness Is forgive Your friends, family, and yourself

On Yom Kippur

By Ari N

What did it mean when I was younger Why did I go to synagogue I didn’t understand I was just a kid I had no sins But now I am a young man I had my Bar Mitzvah I realized I had to start taking responsibility For my own actions If I did something bad it was on me Not anyone else I had to change And now I am going to This is the time To say sorry To pray for forgiveness Toward G-d On Yom Kippur

A Better Year By Elliot B.

This may not have been my nicest year yet But I do not worry, I do not fret Even with the many things I now regret Because Yom Kippur is approaching and near It is time to repent, start fresh for next year I wish to grow closer spiritually with G-d To stop rumors, be kinder, the list goes on and on But first I must stop and think about those Whom I may have made tears drip down to their nose Sorry, Slicha, Forgive me for my wrong Please accept my apology and then we’ll move on To a healthy lasting friendship that’s dear One that will last for many more years

My Personal Prayer By Jonathan S. This year on Yom Kippur I am repenting For all of my wrongdoings in this past year In a few hours I will be fasting for my first time Because I have recently become a man I now need to sit in services quietly Instead of going outside and playing I need to reflect on the past year For all of the sins I have committed And ask for forgiveness And while I am fasting I must think about the coming year

Becoming Better by Benji J. I pray to God for not only me But for the world and my huge family For them I pray for happiness and health I do not however pray for fame or wealth I would like Israel to become peaceful and wetter I would like myself to become generally better Following my morals would definitely please me Whilst following the law, the school, and all of authority Improvement on qualities such as including everyone Patience and perseverance and efficiency would make life fun Although I know it is no easy task To God forgiveness is all that I ask Now that Yom Kippur has come I pray more and more for life to be less glum!

By Michael L. There was once a holiday It came from Leviticus Everyone knew that this was a special day when it came you knew everyone was talking everyone wondered what to cook what to do? And then everyone said: maybe we shouldn't eat, it's that holy maybe we shouldn't do anything maybe we should let the holiday take over our souls let it guide us through our life Let it show us what is wrong, bad, good, and great Let it be the ruler and let us follow in its footsteps
 * //The Years of the Past and the Years to Come//**
 * //By Dria G.//**
 * I do not fast**
 * I do not pray**
 * And in the past**
 * I entertained no thought pertaining to this day**
 * Why do you pray**
 * What is the purpose of Yom Kippur**
 * What does it mean to fast**
 * And what do you do it for?**
 * Questions I have briefly pondered in the past**
 * Topics that were new and exciting**
 * Which I quickly learned in Jewish Studies class**
 * In the past few years, I had embarked on a quest**
 * To be enlightened with Jewish culture and traditions, by no one's request**
 * These years I look upon with joy, pride, and regret, but only some**
 * Now lying before me is the question of what I desire for the year to come**
 * What are my hopes, what are my dreams?**
 * What do I want and what are their means?**
 * I want joy and unity to hold a constant presence in my family**
 * I want ease and challenge alike to come with my studies**
 * I want love and forgiveness to be granted for my mistakes**
 * I want to remain strong for any obstacles that lie in my way**
 * I want to keep a conscious mind of everything I say**
 * To be successful, patient, and strong are my dreams**
 * I will achieve all of my goals, as impossible as they seem**
 * I want to enter the year with an open mind**
 * And take the joy in everything that I find**