Affirmative prayer is what makes Jewish Science unique among Jewish movements and philosophies. Affirmative prayer refers specifically to prayers normally labeled petitionary prayers: prayers in which we ask God for things, rather than prayers of adoration or thanksgiving. Jewish Science, of course, uses all forms of prayer, including the traditional liturgy. Affirmative prayer is only one aspect of our Jewish spiritual practice.

The perspective of Jewish Science is that God is present in every aspect of creation, and therefore God’s goodness is also present everywhere, including within us. It is up to us to awaken to God’s goodness surrounding us and within us, and to gratefully affirm the blessings that God has already given to us. In affirmative prayer, we use meditation, visualization, and affirmation to ask God for things we want or need.

Rabbi Lichtenstein taught that the Psalms are excellent examples of affirmative prayer. They contain vivid imagery (visualization) and affirm God’s nearness and providence. The Psalmist recognizes that God provides for all our needs by affirming that what he needs is already present or imminently arriving. If the following process is not helpful for you, praying the Psalms is a wonderful entry into affirmative prayer.

The first step is to meditate on God’s nearness and clear our minds of distracting thoughts. It may help your focus to use an affirmation such as: There is One loving Power, One Divine Presence, One Source of all things present in all.

The second step is to remember that God is not only near us but within us. The Divine qualities of goodness, love, creativity, life, and health are present within us because we are made in the divine image and are part of God, a spark of the Divine. An affirmation for this stage is: God is the Source of goodness, love, and creativity within me; whatever attribute God possesses, is also within me, and I may call upon it to express itself.

The final step is to affirm that whatever is needed is already present and already manifesting in your life. At this stage, it is also helpful to engage in visualization. Rather than merely asserting with words that you have what you need, you visualize it. For example, if you are sick, you imagine yourself in a state of health and affirm that your nature is to be healthy. If you need freedom from worry, you imagine yourself happy and safe while also affirming it with words. The image does not have to be literal, it can be symbolic, so long as it evokes the qualities you are in need of.

Rabbi Lichtenstein formulated two affirmations that he encouraged his followers to recite every day. The first one affirms many of the principles outlined in the Ten Fundamentals of Jewish Science. The second is a reminder of particular divine qualities present in each of us. All affirmations can be changed to fit your personal needs, and of course, you can create your own!

The Jewish Science Affirmations

I am calm and cheerful; I hate no one; I envy no one; there is no worry of fear in me; I trust in God all the time.

The God consciousness in me expresses itself in health, in calmness, in peace, in power, and in happiness.

A downloadable PDF from Makor Center for Spiritual Judaism is available below, containing more in depth information about affirmative prayer and an essay by Tehilla Lichtenstein.