Customer Reviews

Talking to God: Personal Prayers for Times of Joy, Sadness, Struggle, and Celebration

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The author of the best selling, tear jerking, hope-filled, "TO BEGIN AGAIN," offers us this collection of personal prayers for people of all faiths, for all occasions. True prayers lead to action. Some find that traditional prayers are unfulfilling or worse, alienating. This book provides simple, direct and intimate prose, as if you are chatting with a loved one, God. Many of the prayers are preceded by a poignant story from Rabbi Levy's life in the rabbinate.

In Part 1, there are Daily Prayers for Morning, Driving, Difficult Days, Food on Our Table, Seeking the Ability to Pray, Finding Mentors in the least likely places, Nighttime, and a Prayer for the Parent to say to a Child at Night. You think you had bad days, consider her story prior to one prayer for Bad Days, when she recounts that the day she moved homes, she had a car accident, had to bid farewell to a dying congregant, and found the tallis given to her by her dean being used as a drop cloth by painters.

Part 2 contains prayers for love and marriage, including prayers for finding love, sexuality, rekindling passion, breakups, marriage, troubles, anniversaries, guidance after unfaithfulness, healing from divorce, preparing for the wedding ceremony, and the second marriage. The prayer for fighting sexual temptation is preceded by a hilarious story about how the rabbi's phone number became confused with that of an internet prostitute. You'll have to read the book to learn about how the problem was resolved. In Part 3, there are prayers for Pregnancy and Childbirth, including prayers for Conception, Pregnancy and Strength, and Birth. In Part 4, there are prayers for parenthood and adoption, and a story about how the rabbi learns to face the challenges of parenting a special needs child.

In Part 5, there are prayers for healing, healers, overcoming illnesses and addictions, overcoming breast cancer, surgery, and living with disabilities. Part 6 contains prayers for work and employment unemployment, career changes, interviews, and the incumbent challenges. The Prayer Before a Big Challenge is preceded by a Talmudic story of Rabbi Eliezer and his mentor Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai. Part 7 contains prayers for comfort and strength in difficult times, embracing silence, and being resilient. A prayer to be said after losing a pet is preceded by a story about pets and Martin Buber. In Part 8, there are prayers for special occasions, new homes, birthdays, rests, and brushes with death. In Part 9, there are prayers for Aging, including retirement, menopause, the fear of retirement, the fear of becoming dependent or a burden to others, and a prayer for the child who must care for an aging parent.

In Part 10, there are prayers of Death and Mourning, including prayers for those who succumb to violence and prayers for those murdered on 9/11/2001. Part 11 contains prayers for Living Up to the Best in Our Souls, including a prayer to abstain from gossip, overcoming jealousy, prayers for wrongdoing and repair, healing troubled relationships, and for guidance and wisdom. The final chapter, Part 12, has prayers for Peace, Tolerance, our Country and the World. After each chapter, there are a couple of pages in which to joy down your own words and prayers for yourself and posterity. This book is well conceived, well designed and well written.

I just purchased "Talking to God" recently, and immediately I found prayers that moved me and that I could share with friends for their specific needs. For example as we approached September 11th I wanted to find a prayer for my neighbor who had lost her brother in the Towers. I shared with her the prayer on loss through tragedy. Her comment was that the author of this prayer had obviously gone through a tragedy herself. This neighbor stated that she keeps reading the prayer and finds comfort from it. On another occasion I read the prayer which is for the parents of special needs children to my close friend who is the parent of a special needs child, and we both cried. She immediately wanted a copy of the prayer and the book. Before my family Rosh HaShannah dinner I read the prayer for the New Year to my guests, and everyone wanted a copy of the book. I know that this book will be a continual resource for me, my family, and my friends.

There is a light that shines from the prayers and the annecdotal material. This book models the possibility of prayer as a personal conversation with God. Every household needs a copy of
"Talking to God" by Naomi Levy

Rabbi Levy's new book sparkles in the sea of self-help and spiritual books out there in the big wide world. She has the talent and the inclination to do bring spirituality to us in practical ways, helping us to heal the painful split between spiritual belief and "real life."

Might as well order 5 copies for starters because you are going to want to give this one away. Naomi Levi is the voice of practical grace, and I can't think of a better gift than that.

- Thom Rutledge, Author of Embracing Fear (HarperSanFrancisco)

Very inspiring. The topics chosen by Rabbi Levy and the prayers she has composed resonate deeply. I use this book as a constant reference. The prayers are simple and personal. They are useful by themselves but are also wonderful guides to help us find our own voices, spirit and direction to draft our own prayers.

I am a Chaplain at a Children's Hospital, and I have found this book to be an extremely useful resource for working with parents.

Rabbi Naomi Levy encourages the expression of personal prayers to God. This book is filled with her own prayer offerings on general subjects like birth, marriage, sexuality, divorce as well as specific subjects like "A Prayer for rekindling passion" and "A prayer during labor." The most fascinating parts of this book for me were Rabbi Levy's anecdotes--stories about her congregants faith issues and her own family life. Rabbi Levy talks about her own faltering faith in God when her father was murdered and when her daughter was diagnosed with disabilities. She writes with a deep sense of openness and compassion.

Rabbi Levy encourages us to write personal prayers that not only ask for help but also thank God. This practice furthers appreciation for the gifts in our life and in the world.

I read Naomi levy's first book "To Begin Again" and found it spiritually very comforting and uplifting. When I heard she had just completed her second book "Talking to God" I could not wait to see what next she had in store for us. Again she shows such a remarkable ability to reach out to all of us in her beautifully written prayers and her touching and revealing stories.

Her prayers are so unusual in that they deal with the personal everyday contingencies that life presents. What parent hasn't experienced some trepidation when a child leaves the household for the first time or goes off to college. Who hasn't agonized when taking on a new position or job.

Levy provides us with simple but meaningful prayers to help us deal with just such moments. I can't praise her book enough for all that it offers.

I read Naomi Levy's first book "To Begin Again" and found it spiritually very comforting and uplifting. When I heard she had just completed her second book "Talking to God" I could not wait to see what next she had in store for us. Again she shows such a remarkable ability to reach out to all of us in her beautifully written prayers and her touching and revealing stories.

Her prayers are unusual in that they deal with the personal everyday contingencies which life presents. What parent hasn't experienced some trepidation when a child leaves the household for the first time or goes off to college. Who hasn't agonized when taking on a new position or job.

Levy provides us with simple but meaningful prayers to help us deal with just such moments. I can't praise her book enough for all that it offers.

I bought this book during one of the most trying times of my life, after reading some of Rabbi Levy's prayers online. It is wonderful reading and great to have in your home for all life events.

Unquestionably one of my favorite books of prayer poetry. contemporary. contemplative. resonates with all ages. excellent readings when doing pastoral care with others or when just spending quiet time alone.