by Patty Cogen

New Morning Prayer for Women

Blessed are You, Shekhinah,
Ruler of the Universe,
Who did not make me a man.

Blessed are You, Shekhinah,
Who gave me the strength to bear children
endurance to raise them
shrewdness and fortitude to earn a living
initiative to shop for my own clothes— or start my own business
flexibility to pick up my own socks
efficiency to boil an egg and brew coffee simultaneously  
creativity to sew a quilt
stamina to cook an entire Seder—
on my own.

Blessed are You, Shekhinah,
Who has made me like the Matriarchs,
Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel,
who possessed the power of binah—
intellectual and emotional insight
distinguishing between
what appears to be true
and what is actually true.

Shekhinah, save me from Nice Jewish Men.
Give me the judgment to recognize
(the chutzpah to avoid)
the Type-A man my parents adore:
who can pass the Bar Exam in three states,
but cannot shop for his own suits—
who can shoot a birdie on the golf course,
but whose underpants always miss the hamper.

Save me from the middle aged man
whose limp hand needs perpetual holding,
especially when he has a cold—or has an allergy attack.

Oh, Shekhinah, Maker of All Things
(including blessed kitchen appliances and other labor-saving devices)
guard me from my mother-in-law who narrows her eyes
as she enters my home searching for dust and fingerprints
or arrives for Shabbat dinner early,
or worse: unannounced.

May it be Your will, Shekhinah,
To make me confident, cunning and commanding as
Lilith, Miriam, Deborah, and Judith.
Give me the courage to claim freedom
to choose my own method of birth-control,
my own political views,
the gender of my spouse, (or whether to have a spouse)
the way I make love,
how I form a family
or, if I chose, to have an abortion.

Shekhinah, blessed are You who has brought women to this time
when we can walk freely and without shame
on the streets without hats, gloves, high heels or girdles.
When we can exit
from our father’s house,
or the marital bedroom,
with a minimum of baggage
as our mothers once walked out of Egypt.

Shekhinah, God of our Mothers and Daughters,
bless us with employers who understand the needs of sick children.
Bless us with reliable childcare.
Enable adult children to earn an adequate living
so they don’t need to move back into our home—
permit us to keep their old room as a room of our own.

Shekhinah, Healer of the wounded:
May Your face shine upon us and be gracious
May Your presence give us strength,
May Your warmth and breath fill us with the energy of life.
Shekhinah, turn your face to us.
Shekhinah, shower us with peace.