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…
Read articleThe 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…
Read articleHallel 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…
Read articlePraise, 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…
Read articleSource 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…
Read articleQueen 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.…
Read articleBefore 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…
Read articleAmidah
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…
Read articleG-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.…
Read articleWho 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)…
Read article