Posts from the ‘Praises’ category

Expressing the Hallelujahs of life.

Hallel in Peril

On Rosh Chodesh Elul, how can we recite Hallel — joyous psalms of praise — in fear for the State of Israel? The proposed and enacted…

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The Language of Your Soul

A short meditation inspired by Rav Abraham Isaac Ha-Cohen Kook‘s idea of the constant prayer of the soul, that our souls have a deep longing to…

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Hallel in a Minor Key

This Hallel is for singing praises in times of struggle or sorrow. “Hallel in a Minor Key” is the name of both the liturgy and the…

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Praise, Praise

A hallelujah song, with two acrostic paragraphs each spelling the word ‘praise.’ It’s also a salute to the psalms of praise in Jewish liturgy known as…

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Source of Bread

A meditation on physical and spiritual sustenance, and the power of blessing to summon a connection to the divine. Source of Bread What is bread Without…

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Queen and King

On Friday evening we yearn for the arrival of the Sabbath Queen, recalling the mystics of Safed who walked into the fields singing to greet her.…

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Before Writing a Prayer

Here’s a prayer to be said before writing a prayer. The intention of the prayer is to achieve the kavanah, the spiritual mindset, necessary to serve…

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Amidah

This is a meditation on the Amidah, also known by two other names: the Shmoneh Esrei (‘Eighteen’) and HaT’fillah (‘The Prayer’). It summarizes the entire set…

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G-d’s Morning

A prayer in praise of morning. This piece and the related prayer “Morning Blessings” appear in This Joyous Soul: A New Voice for Ancient Yearnings from CCAR Press.…

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Who is Like You

A meditation on the greatness of God, to be read before singing Mi Chamocha, a line declaring God’s greatness from the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:11)…

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