Tag Archives: liturgical

Here is another Nishmat poem, suitable for Shabbat morning. It can go after the Nishmat prayer. Now, take a deep breath and remember the connection between breath, life, and soul (soul = neshama--same root as nishmat, you probably know).

Tishah b'Av--the 9th of Av--the day Jews remember calamities like the destruction of the Temples, is coming up soon, and for me there is no better way to learn about and get involved with this occasion is to read the special poetry composed for this day (and for other Jewish days of mourning), and better yet to write our own! In this presentation you will first learn a little about Tishah b'Av and about the poetry, and then be encouraged to write your own such poetry and perhaps recite it in your congregation, havurah, religious class, or home.

Here is an ahavah poem thanking God for giving us the capacity to love. It fits with the liturgy and takes the form of a ghazal, a genre of poetry popular in India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Ghazals are love poems to God that, like the Song of Songs, express this emotion in the language of human love.

Mi kamokha--who is like You?--is what we ask when we feel overwhelmed by the joys and wonders of life. This mi kamokha poem responds to this feeling in its own little way.

Dusk. Night. The transition can be magical. Sometimes there is a lovely stillness...

Evening signals a transition from day to night, bringing with it anticipation, excitement, and sometimes (or often, or even always) fear. This poem, however, celebrates light, in the form of celestial lights and inner lights. The reader is swept into the swirl of the cosmos in order to gain perspective on her or his life here on earth.

Here is another nishmat poem, suitable for shabbat morning. It can go after the nishmat prayer.

Life is a beautiful mystery that is mysteriously beautiful! Who is like You, God, Who could create all of this and give us the ability to appreciate it-- even people who don't live near mountains and hills as we do in Boulder, Colorado!

This poem is meant to help you more fully appreciate the wonder of God and God's creation this Shabbat.

Called a zulat (after the Hebrew word meaning "but," "besides," "aside from," except," "other than"), this poem can be read on its own or preceding the line in the kriyat shema that goes "There is no God but [besides/aside from/except/other than] You"--Ayn Elohim zulatecha.

"Without Saying Why" is a liturgical poem that asks the reader to contemplate the uniqueness of God in a way that makes room for the whole kaboodle of life: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This Jewish liturgical poem is intended to be read or recited before the Shabbat-morning nishmat prayer and is in the tradition of such poems in which the poet searches for God early in the morning, perhaps even before sunrise, when only birds are out and about.

Here is a poem about the diversity and mystery of light, to help you add a little more light to the whole spectrum of your Passover festivities.

This dark poem about redemption follows the mi chamocha and is designed to encourage readers to ask their own tough questions and perhaps take a stab at some answers. The Jewish tradition demands no less!

Called a zulat (after the Hebrew word meaning "but," "besides," "aside from," except," "other than"), this poem can be read on its own or preceding the line in the kriyat shema that goes "There is no God but [besides/aside from/except/other than] You"--Ayn Elohim zulatecha.

Called a me'ora ("light"), this poem can be read on its own or just before the first benediction/blessing preceding the shema, which reads: "Praised are You, O Lord, Creator of lights" (Baruch ata Adonai, Yotzer ha-meorot). Enjoy!

This type of piyyut--Jewish liturgical poem--is an ofan (literally, "wheel") and is meant to be inserted into the kedusha blessing in the daily and shabbat morning prayer service (optionally--you normally won't see one).

Note for davvenologists and poets: This type of piyyut--Jewish liturgical poem--is a guf ha-yotzer.

A poem by Henry Rasof to expand your Shabbat and weekday prayer experience.

BJN welcomes Henry Rasof to our ranks of posters. Please enjoy his liturgical, acrostic poem.