This prayer is about the power of tears, both to hurt and to heal, and is appropriate for use commemorating Kristallnacht, Yom HaShoah and Tisha b’Av. Click here for a six-prayer Yom HaShoah liturgy.
To listen along as you read, click on the triangle in the bar below. The text follows.
Tears of Crystal, Tears of Broken Glass
My tears are crystal and broken glass.
They sparkle, they cut.
They heal, they wound.
They are daybreak and midnight,
Hymn and dirge,
Joyous celebration and lonely mourning.
My tears catch Your Divine Light,
Prisms casting colors across my days
And on my hands.
I pray to hold them gently,
With dignity,
With honor.
I am one of Your children,
One of those You love,
Comforted knowing that I, too,
Am one for whom You cry
Tears of crystal,
Tears of broken glass.
© 2010 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.
Postscript: Please see the related prayer, “After the Horror.”
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Photo Credit: Highland Park Conservative Temple
Tags: faith, grief, holy day, Kristallnacht, love, Shoah Memorial Prayer, spirit, Tisha b'Av, Yartzeit, Yom Hashoah, יום הזיכרון לשואה