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When we talk about God in prayer, who are speaking to? A Kavanah for Ashrei

Ashrei and Psalm 145 Ashrei , in Hebrew, means “Happy” and it is the name we give to a prayer that many communities say at least 3 times a day. Apart from the first two lines and the very last line, Ashrei is taken from Psalm 145 “A praise of David.” From the fourth line onward, it is written out as an acrostic following the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, (“ Aromimecha …”, “ Bichol …”, “ Gadol …”). It is, however, missing one letter. Although this psalm is about the importance of praising God, which is naturally relevant to prayer, nothing in the psalm itself indicates that this is about communal prayer. Nor is it specifically associated with Jews, as praising God is incumbent upon all nations, and indeed all of creation. It is only in the additional lines that we talk about people sitting in God’s house, that it is a Jewish context, and that praise is done by a community, a “we”, as opposed to an individual. Perhaps these verses were added to make this inspiring biblical poetry ...
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Hannukah Reflections for 12-25-24: Our Common Humanity on the Holidays

Our sages of blessed memory tell us a legend about the origin of winter holidays. After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden in the early fall (just after Rosh Hashanah), they noticed that the days were growing shorter and the nights longer and colder. As the darkest days of winter approached, Adam, having never experienced seasons before, began to worry: “Is God still angry at me? Will God let the light of the sun fade and disappear forever, undoing all of creation because of my mistake?!” In response, Adam decided to spend eight days in fasting and prayer. When the winter solstice passed, he saw that the days were beginning to grow longer again and realized it was simply the natural cycle of the world. With this newfound understanding, Adam instituted an eight-day celebration. According to our sages, this became the origin of festivals like the Hellenistic Saturnalia and serves as at least part of the reason for the celebration of Hannukah in the winter. The sages thought deeply ...
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Wonder and the Word ויהי - Reflections on Parshat Vayeshev

    And Then I always thought the words, and then , were a prelude to something wonderful.   Like seeing a ship come in or finding a note in your letterbox, when you weren’t expecting one.   That swift, surprising transition from nothing to everything.          And then. Two little words that hold a world of promise.          And then the light pierced though the dark, forbidding sky, and the rain stopped falling.          And then I met you.   -          Lang Leav   “Then” is a much maligned word in the world of fiction writing, often making lists of “Top Ten Words to Avoid”.   “I sat down and I read the parasha ,” reads perfectly well without the word “then”. Moreover, a description of events that uses the word “then” or “and then” repeatedly can sound unwieldy, even im...
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