Posts Tagged ‘inflation of the universe’

 

Breisheit: Evidence of Holiness

Posted on: October 6th, 2015 by Alden

600px-Sextans_B_Hubble_WikiSkyIn a patch of sky seen from the South Pole, researchers say they have glimpsed the beginning of time, a faint microwave glow of the Big Bang. Or maybe, just maybe, the scientists found something they cannot explain. The early stanzas of the prayer include lines adapted from an AP article that appeared in The Times of Israel. The prayer closes with lines from Gensis 1:1-5 as translated in the 1962 JPS volume The Torah: The Five Books of Moses. Quotes from these sources are shown in italics.

Evidence of Holiness

Suppose God
Plays hide and seek
Among the stars

Cosmic microwave radiation —
A faint microwave glow from the Big Bang —
Has been detected from Earth…

Leaving evidence of holiness
So that we might yearn
To glimpse the moment when
The divine desire to create burst forth
Into an explosion of awe and wonder.

These waves are signals of
An extremely rapid
Inflation of the universe…

Consider this, dear sister.
Answer this, dear brother.
What is it that you see
With your heart
When a faint glow
From the beginning of time
Reaches the earth?
What is it to know that
A rhythmic pattern
Of radiance is the
Foundation of everything?

Could it be,
Could it be

With darkness
Over the surface
Of the deep…

That the Painter,
The Composer,
The Sculptor,
The Author of all Being,
Signed this masterwork
Of creation

God said:
“Let there be light…”

Leaving a trace of glory
For us to find,
Using ripples in the
Fabric of the cosmos?

.ויהי-ערב ויהי-בקר, יום אחד
Viyhi erev, viyhi voker, yom echad.
And there was
Evening and there was
Morning.
A first day

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: This is a revised version of the prayer first posted here on March 19, 2014. I welcome reactions to the combination of news text, scripture and poetry. I use the technique of posing questions to the reader in a variety of meditations and prayers, including “For Healing the Spirit,” “Regarding Old Wounds” and “For Sharing Divine Gifts.” All three appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Please check out my ELItalk video, “Falling in Love with Prayer,” and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. For reprint permissions and usage guidelines and reprint permissions, 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.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

Evidence of Holiness

Posted on: March 19th, 2014 by Alden

600px-Sextans_B_Hubble_WikiSkyIn a small patch of sky, seen from the South Pole, researchers say they have glimpsed the beginning of time. They have found the faint microwave glow of the Big Bang, when the universe was one trillionth of one trillionth of one trillionth seconds old. Or maybe, just maybe, they found something scientists cannot explain.

Written this morning, this meditation is a first attempt to combine original writing with both secular and religious texts. At the beginning, I’ve taken lines from the caption of a photo from the Associated Press as it appears in The Times of Israel. It closes, with lines from Gensis 1:1-5 as translated in the 1962 JPS volume The Torah: The Five Books of Moses.

Evidence of Holiness
Suppose G-d
Plays hide and seek
Among the stars

Cosmic microwave radiation
Is a form of light…

Leaving evidence of holiness
So that we might yearn
To glimpse the moment when

Changes in a particular
Polarization may be caused
By gravitational waves…

The divine desire to create
Burst forth

These waves
Are signals of
An extremely rapid
Inflation of the universe…

Into an explosion of awe
And wonder.

Consider this, dear sister.
Answer this, dear brother.
What is it that you see
With your heart
When a faint glow
From the beginning of time
Reaches the earth?
What is it to know that
A rhythmic pattern
Of radiance is the
Foundation of everything?

Could it be,
Could it be,

With darkness
Over the surface
Of the deep…

That the Painter,
The Composer,
The Sculptor,
The Author of all Being,

A wind from G-d
Sweeping over the water…

Signed this masterwork
Of creation –

G-d said:
“Let there be light…”

Leaving a trace of glory
For us to find –
Using ripples in the
Fabric of the cosmos?

And there was
Evening and there was
Morning.
A first day.

© 2014 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. All rights reserved.

Postscript: I welcome reactions to the combination of news text, with scripture and poetry. Note here that I use the technique of posing questions to the reader within the prayer, a tool I use in a variety of meditations and prayers, including “For Healing the Spirit,” “Regarding Old Wounds” and “For Sharing Divine Gifts.” All three appear in my forthcoming book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

For usage guidelines and reprint permissions, see “Share the Prayer!” For notices of new prayers, please subscribe. You can also connect on Facebook and Twitter. If you like this prayer, please post a link to Facebook, your blog or mention it in a tweet.

Photo Source: WikiMedia Commons

“Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists…" - Religion News Service, Dec. 23, 2020

“Mesmerizing, spiritual, provocative, and thoughtful, Alden was everything you would want in a guest scholar and teacher.” – Rabbi Denise L. Eger, Congregation Kol Ami, Los Angeles, and Past President, CCAR

"Alden Solovy has become one of the most revered liturgists of the last decade…" - Jewish Post & Opinion, March 29, 2023

“Alden left everyone feeling inspired.” – Cantor Jeri Robins, Shabbat Chair, NewCAJE6