Standing Tall

STANDING TALL

,םָלוֹעָה ךֶלֶמ וּניֵהֹלֱא הוהי הָּתאַ ךוּרָּב .םיִפוּפְּכ ףֵקוֹז Blessed are You, Adonai, our God, Majesty of the world, who makes the bent upright.

LEARNING

This blessing is about standing up tall and proud to do what we need to do in this world. When we stand tall, we can see a broader perspective and see where we are and where we are going.

REFLECTION

What do I kvetch about as I rise up in the morning getting out of bed? What if alongside each kvetch I would add, “Thank you, God, for allowing me to straighten up today”? In which areas am I timid, and could ask God to help me grow tall and proud?

INSPIRATION

The Hebrew letter feh appears twice in the word kefufim, which means “bent.” The feh looks like it is literally curled up in the fetal position, exactly like the meaning of kefufim. We all have times in our lives where we just want to curl up and hide from our responsibilities or from the craziness in the world. This blessing reminds us that God gives us the strength to stand up and face our lives. PERSONAL PRAYER

Grant me the will to seek and the wisdom to understand what holds me down, and the courage and strength to stand upright and show my best that is within. May I lead by example so that others around me Strive to stand tall. I am grateful to You for giving me each new day as an opportunity to grow.

— Sue Morris,

Sydney, Australia