Music & audio © 2024 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved On Shabbat morning, as part of the Amidah blessings, we sing prayers in a call and response. Every prayer tradition has different texts for the parts that the leader recites, so I had to choose which rite I was going to set. The text […]
Music & audio © 2024 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved This piyut (poem) by Solomon Ibn Gabirol (11th century) can be a great way to sing ourselves awake. In the UK’s Liberal Judaism siddur prayerbook), there’s a translation adapted from Nina Salaman’s, and the usual tune is by Ivor Warren, the son of the
Shachar Avakeshcha Read More »
These are my own gleanings from the book by Avraham Weiss, Holistic Prayer: a guide to Jewish spirituality (2014, Maggid Books). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding, but there are also direct quotations from the book. The notes in square brackets are
Holistic Prayer: a guide to Jewish spirituality (Weiss) – notes on the book Read More »
From its opening words and notes, Kol Nidrei stirs the heart and mind, and pulls at the guts. Those first notes mark the point of no-return, when we cross from Ordinary Time into Yom Kippur. For the next 25 hours, we will step outside time. We’ll sit in community, search our innermost selves, review our
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These are my own gleanings from the book by Joel Lurie Grishaver, Stories We Pray: insights into the inner-work of Jewish worship (2012, Torah Aura Productions). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding, but there are also direct quotations from the book. The notes
These are my own gleanings from a profound book (both spiritually and practically by Zalman Shachter-Shalomi, The Gates of Prayer: Twelve Talks on Davennology (2011, Albion / Andalus, Boulder). I hope they encourage you to buy the book. I have paraphrased in order to clarify my own understanding, but there are also direct quotations from
The Gates of Prayer: Twelve Talks on Davennology – notes on Reb Zalman’s book Read More »
Notes on the essay by Abraham Joshua Heschel in Review of Religion vol. 9 no. 2, January (1945) 1. Prayer as an answer “We do not refuse to pray; we abstain from it.” “We cannot make Him visible to us, but we can make ourselves visible to Him. So we open our thoughts to Him.” “To
‘Prayer’ – A.J. Heschel (1945) Read More »
Music and audio © 21 May 2023 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved Buy the sheet music (voice & piano, 2 copies) – $4.95 “May the words of my mouth, and the song in my heart, be pleasing to you, my God, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Ps 19:14) These words are used at the
Yih’yu L’ratzon – May the words of my mouth Read More »
Here are a few songs that can help people make sacred space together. The commentaries give some useful ideas about kavanah – focus and intentionality. Ashrei Yoshvei Veitecha – ‘Happy are those who dwell in your house’ Elohai N’shamah (Ber. 60b) – ‘My God, the soul You have given me is pure.’ (easy 3 part
Making sacred space together Read More »
Music and Audio © 2022 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved BUY the sheet music (voice & piano, including lead sheet) – $4.95 Psalm 27, verses 1 & 4 ;הוָה, אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי–מִמִּי אִירָא .יְהוָה מָעוֹז-חַיַּי, מִמִּי אֶפְחָד :אַחַת, שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת-יְהוָה– אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ ;שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית-יְהוָה, כָּל-יְמֵי חַיַּי .לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם-יְהוָה, וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ Translation God is my light
Adonai Ori / Achat Sha’alti – Psalm 27 Read More »