Daily Rituals

The Gift

By Rachel Kann

Don't I know this

Feeling of homelessness.

And don't I know

How real the loneliness

In your bones is.

Slow down and notice 

The gloriousness afforded;

The view through the newly-opened window 

Of your broken heart.

This gift of clear vision.

Think on

The sacred company 

You're in:

Has there been one instance

Of wisdom 

In the history

Of this misbegotten existence

Elicited from anything but heart-brokenness?

It is an act of grace

To shatter the packaging,

To peel the encasement,

To reveal your true soul’s face and,

Say, with outstretched arms,

Here, here is the shape of my heart.

There is nothing left 

but to be swept 

away by love.

Abraham Joshua Heschel. a rabbi who marched for civil rights alongside Martin Luther King, Jr

Wrote that morally speaking, there is no limit to the concern one must feel for the suffering of human beings,

That indifference to evil is worse than evil itself

That in a free society, some are guilty but all are responsible

May we continue to practice tikkun olam, repairing the world

May we continue to practice, gemilut chasidim, acts of lovingkindness

May we continue to practice tzedakah, just giving

May we recognize that all beings are created equal, b'tzelem elohim, in the image of the divine

May we walk away today knowing that each of us has the power to create change.

by Deanna Neil

Blessed God of our ancestors,

beginning the chain of work,

we give thanks:

For the portion of dough we take off the challah

before we bake it in order to sustain

high priests, artists and those who are in need;

For the seed and the earth and the rain

and the sun and the farmer and the picker

and the miller and the baker

and the trucker and the packager

and the store owner and the grocery checker

and the shopper and the cook

and the waiter and waitress

and those who will clean up after us,

for those who brought us this food that we bless together;

For the scientists and activists

and the teachers and the learners

and the new farmers and the leaders

who work to help us heal this earth, our home;

For all those who work to sustain us

For all those who work for sustainability.

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu

Melech Ha’olam Brucha at Shechina,

Ruach Ha’olam

Blessed One-ness,

HaMotzi Lechem Min HaEretz.

Amen

In the traditional text of Hashkivenu, we ask that a shelter of peace is spread over ourselves, our loved ones and people around the world. We ask for restful and restorative sleep, and for the gift of waking up to a new day.  As you read, imagine a blanket covering your body and take a deep breath as you move closer to ending your day.

Hashkivenu by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Bayit 

The exterior's a little shabby,

could use a coat of paint.

A bit worn after a hard year:

not a lot of curb appeal.

Most people walk right by.

Not you: you see

the mezuzah in the doorway,

the light in the living room.

You see my heart, tender

and afraid no one will ever want—

Tell me again that I'm worthy

even when I feel most broken.

Tell me again that my strength

is beautiful, and makes me whole.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהו''ה, שׁוֹמֵר עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל לָעַד:

Baruch atah YHVH, shomer amo Yisrael la’ad.

Blessed are You, YHVH, Who keeps watch over Your people Israel.

Dear One, you love me so much

you give me your Torah

for argument and play

waltzing and conversation

from one life to the next.

Your Torah nourishes me,

familiar as the womb.

Wrap me tight in your Torah

like a newborn. Laugh in delight

when I learn to break free.

Your Torah lights up my eyes,

fuses my heart with my choices.

Give me just one letter

to suck like candy, like manna

changing flavor on my tongue.

Tell me a true story again

about who I used to be

or who I might yet be

-- like you, always becoming

who you are becoming.

Beloved, draw me close.

I've been scattered:

melt me until we mingle.

I want to come home in you.

Choose me again. Don't stop.

Baruch atah YHVH, ohev amo Yisrael.

Blessed are You YHVH, Who loves Your people Yisrael.

-by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Bayit 

Contributed by Trisha Arlin

Cover your eyes and listen.

Listen at home

To room tone;

To scratching behind the walls;

To the neighbors fighting;

To traffic. 

Listen outside 

To birds singing for sex and babies;

To wild animals hunting or being hunted;

To children yelling, My Turn, as they play;

To the wind. 

Listen inside 

To your heartbeat slowing down;

To your stomach rumbling;

To your mind paying attention;

To your breath. 

Listen in shul

To the siddur pages turning;

To the children squirming;

To feet stepping back three times;

To the silent prayers. 

Shema! 

Listen, everybody!

Adonai Eloheinu,

We hear the Holy Wholeness everywhere. 

Adonai Echad,

One-ness is us. 

Open your eyes. 

Amen

by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Bayit