The Brink of Holiness

A new prayer-poem for Shavuot. The image: that we stand, always, at the brink of holiness, able to hear the resounding wisdom of Torah, able to received the continued flow of revelation. God’s voice still resounds, if only we can keep faith, if only we choose to listen.

The Brink of Holiness
Every moment
We stand
At the brink of holiness.
Where the Divine summons us
To service and surrender,
To hope and wisdom,
As teachers and guides,
So that we may reach
Toward the heavens
With gentle power.

Every moment
We stand
Where the sound of the shofar
Blends with psalms of praise.
If only we could keep faith.
If only we would choose
To hear the echoes of God’s voice,
Still resounding in all of creation.

© 2026 Alden Solovy

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Please check out Enter These Gates: Meditations for the Days of Awe, as well as These Words: Poetic Midrash on the Language of Torah and my other CCAR Press volumes: This Grateful Heart, This Joyous Soul, and This Precious Life, which can also be purchased as the Grateful/Joyous/Precious trilogy. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines, see “Share the Prayer!” To receive my latest prayers via email, please subscribe (on the home page). You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. For a taste of my teaching, see my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer.”

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