Many Jewish educational settings have special celebrations during which children receive their first siddur. I wrote this prayer with the intent that it be offered by community rabbis but it could easily be offered by teachers, parents, or anyone else that wishes to offer a blessing for such an occasion. A Siddur is a […]
Prayer
When We Sing We Pray Twice
Every so often our complicated Middle School academic schedule allows for a moment of Jewish creative inspiration. That was the case recently when we were able to offer a “breakout” Tefilah during our regular Tefilah time. Advertised as a “singing Tefilah” the “cost” of admission was that anyone who came, came ready to sing. 60 […]
The Awesome Light
This song is a bit of a paradox. It’s a Nigun with words. The paradox is that Nigun (plural Nigunim) is a style of Jewish music that has no words. So a Nigun with words is a bit of a paradoxical concept. Having said that, this Nigun has only four words: ora, nora, yisa, and […]
A Prayer for Healing
We need healing. Our world needs healing. I need healing. You probably do as well. To be human is to be broken and whole at the same time. To be human is to know that our bodies are beautifully imperfect vessels. To be human is to know that our souls can soar to the greatest […]
A Poem a Day
I just read a poem or two. It’s a rainy day and it seemed like a good thing to do. It reminded me that poets exist. Many more than we will ever know. It reminded me that we might be among those poets. And we might not even know it. There are 150 psalms in […]
3 Jewish Prayers Every Person Should Recite
This morning I found myself discussing the meaning of some of the daily prayers that Jews recite each morning. It reminded me of the relevance and maybe even the necessity of finding words like these to remind and guide us as we journey through life. So here, in a bare bones fashion, are the prayers […]