Just You
Not booksNot warsNot miraclesNot thoughtsNot prayersNot namesJust – You
prayer
Tefilla — written, prayed, broken open.
Dear God
Dear GodI don’t believe in theDeath penaltyAs a golden ruleMaybe forWarring chimpsIt makes a certainNon-senseBut for a kingdomThat has grown farBeyond the dark forestSurelyYou can find useFor me yet,You canHeal me
New Kippa
Floating in crisis and chaosFeeling in my depthsThe chasm between this moment and the nextSacred scraps of burned scrollsSurround me, a dark haloJust out of reachThe letters, still alight,Ascend ever upwardsNo longer trappedIn the grave’s tomeBut freedFor the next chapter === They clutch at my country, my cause, my religion – Should I hand overMy … Read more
Peace Upon
Peace upon my enemiesMay their cups overflowMay they lack for nothingPeace upon my friendsMay their journey in this lifeBe through paradiseMay they never enter hellPeace upon my teachersMay their wisdom be rememberedMay their sins be forgottenMay their life be everlastingPeace upon my criticsMay their pens never ceaseMay their sight be keenMay they merit to join … Read more
A Shabbath of Peace
On Shabbath even the souls trapped in the hell they made get respite from their suffering. I pray for my soul, for my wife, for my daughters, for the other families across Israel and Iran and Lebanon. I pray because missiles and bombs, raving lunatics and angry crowds, would rather I didn’t. Would rather I … Read more
Prayer in War
May the righteous Lord of warProtect the innocentPunish the wickedRescue the strandedHeal the woundedAvenge Your imageProfaned for so long May our Father in the heavensGuide the hearts and mindsOf Your children taking aimWhisper quietly into their earsThe demand of their own soulsThe call of a higher orderThe wisdom of a wild peace May the Creator … Read more
Blessed Is the One Who Enlightens the Blind
When I think of where You placed meA garden, watered by mist and riverA stretch of sand and sky between salty depthsA small rock spinning around a small starSwirling through eons of nothingnessIn flowing rhythm with a stream of myriad starsSpread out across a forgotten galactic horizonJust one, of uncountable legions –When I think of … Read more
Falling Upon One’s Face
“Falling upon one’s face” in supplication and confession after the standing prayer/guided meditation is an essential part of the ancient Jewish way of prayer Bring the body into the moment and the heart out of its shell It may not be advisable in your synagogue, depending on how educated the crowd is, but it’s definitely … Read more
Is Prayer Broken
Is prayer broken? Do you find the act of praying meaningful, or even coherent? Do you connect to the text of prayer? Does the melody of prayer resonate with you? Do you have a praying community? Do you have a relationship with the one to whom you pray? Do you find yourself in prayer? They … Read more
Last Day of Captivity
Really felt theזה היום עשה ייינגילה ונשמחה בוvibe during Hallel today Last Hallel of Sukkoth Last day of captivity