Prayer / T’fillah

Y’varech’cha Adonai (May You Be Blessed) – the ‘Priestly Blessing’

Y’varech’cha Adonai – May You Be Blessed – Composition and audio © Alexander Massey, 3 July 2013 Download the free sheet music (solo voice & piano) Download the free sheet music (SATB & piano) The simple meaning I have always loved the sounds of this blessing (sometimes called the ‘Priestly Blessing’), whether in Hebrew or

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Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer (Zalman Shachter-Shalomi) – notes on the book

These are my personal notes that I made when I read: Rabbi Zalman M. Schachter-Shalomi  (2012) Davening: A Guide to Meaningful Jewish Prayer, Jewish Lights . When I make notes, they are just to jog my own memory of the book, so I am aware that they may not always make sense to the general

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Before we ever said hello (poem)

In Lev. 10, Aaron’s two sons are consumed by fire, and die. There is a cryptic sentence in the text: “Vayidom Aharon.” This is often translated as ‘Aaron was silent’, or ‘Aaron held his peace.’ But neither of these does justice to the Hebrew verb, which really means, ‘Aaron was struck dumb / became still’. Rabbi

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