The Gentle Weapon: Prayers for Everyday and Not-so-Everyday Moments: Timeless Wisdom from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

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Summary: Beautiful prayers for all faiths
Review: Although this book is based upon prayers of a great Rabbi from 200 years ago, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, the sentiments expressed are univeral and are highly appropriate for all religions. When you are reflective and feel the need for a personal prayer, this book may well have one that fits your needs at that moment. I have been going through a very emotional period in my life as I prepare for possible major surgery as an organ donor. I found a perfect prayer for my mood, one that expresss my hopes that my children will be guided by my demonstrated values and behavior. There are many other wonderfully reflective prayers and I recommend this book for people of all faiths who are seeking a closer connection with God.

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Summary: Beautiful in content and packaging
Review: How compact these prayers are but how powerful! How direct, unflowery yet stirring! Proudly from the Jewish heritage but highly accessable to a diverse audience. Each prayer is categorized for a different need or purpose or issue to deal with, such as;"Learning to Wait","In God's Will", or "Anger" The brief but effective introduction really sets the tone for this collection. As Rebbe Nachman is quoted in the introduction, "Life makes warriors of us all. To emerge victors, we must arm ourselves with the most potent of weapons. That weapon is prayer." Gentle yes, but powerful beyond belief.

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Summary: Prayers for everyone who needs to pray
Review: This little collection is a selection of prayers from one of the great teachers of Hasidut Rebbe Nachman of Breslov. Rebbe Nachman said " When you pray, hold nothing back from God. Pour out your heart with honest openness as if you were speaking to your very best friend. "
The element of non- fixed prayer of what is called hiboddedut of being alone with God for part of each day was practiced and perfected by Rebbe Nahman.
Each of the prayers is a kind of meditation which can help the person think about their own situation and relation to God. And this when the Hebrew word ( tefilah) has in it the meaning of self- reflection and examination in moving closer to God.
I believe that these prayers can inspire and help in many different situations .There are prayers on ' loss' and on' arrogance' and on 'living to the fullest ' and on ' joy' and on ' healing ' and on ' crying and sighing' and on ' true nourishment' and on ' giving' and on much much more.
A wonderful little book to take with one everywhere, and from time to time dip in, for inspiration and spiritual strengthening.

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Summary: A Lovely Prayer Book for All
Review: Though I was raised in a Prostestant church, until quite recently, I had no belief in a God or a Higher Power. When I finally came to this belief, I came empty-handed, with nothing but the Lord's Prayer and the Serenity Prayer to pray. I searched for a non-denominational prayer book and finally found this wonderful little book. I use it daily, as a meditation book, and I use it as a source for particular prayers, as needed. This is truly an excellent gift to people like me, those just coming to faith and learning to pray.