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קְבֵלְתָּא דְּלִבָּאִי | Qevelta de-Liba’i (My Heart’s Lament), by Asher Hillel Burstein

Qevelta de-Liba’i (“My Heart’s Lament”) is a melancholy song I wrote in Targumic Judeo-Aramaic in 2010. This piece is an existential peek into an old man’s private moment. He looks in the mirror and waxes wistful, longing for his bygone youth. . . .

📖 (אשכנז) We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers (Richard Collis 2022)

In 2019, Richard Collis released an album providing recordings of the prayers for the Shabbat Morning Services, from Nishmat til the end of Musaf, We Sing We Stay Together: Shabbat Morning Service Prayers. Accompanying liner notes included the romanized Hebrew text for each recorded prayer track, with an original translation in English below each sung phrase. Describing it he wrote, “The 64 track music CD album set We Sing We Stay Together of the Shabbat Morning Service Prayers, and a companion Sing-Along Prayer Book of the same name (to make it beyond easy to learn) is designed to help everyone access the beauty of their Judaic heritage, no prior knowledge required. These prayers belong to all of us.” In 2022, Collis released a follow-up edition with translations in Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Russian. This is Richard Collis’s sing-a-long prayerbook for Shabbat morning in English. . . .

תַּֽמּוּ חֲלוֹמוֹתֵֽינוּ | Tamu Ḥalomotenu, a seliḥah for Yitsḥaq Rabin by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Jews around the world fast on the day after Rosh haShanah to commemorate the murder of Gedalyahu son of Aḥiqam, the officer appointed over Judah who sought to make peace and rebuild before being murdered by a religious extremist and officially bringing an end to the first commonwealth era. The tragedy of Gedalyahu is not just that he was assassinated, but that he was assassinated by a Jew who was using religion (specifically his claim to the line of David) as an excuse. This narrative bears striking similarities to the murder of Prime Minister Yitzḥaq Rabin on 12 Marḥeshvan 5756. On account of this, some Jews have taken it upon themselves to memorialize Rabin on Tzom Gedalyahu as well. This piyyut could be added to the seliḥot for Tzom Gedalyahu, or part of a new seliḥot service for 12 Marḥeshvan. . . .

A Neo-Ḳabbalistic Amulet Against Dog Allergies, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

An amulet to protect against dog allergies. Made for a relative with a bad dog allergy who was forced, for work reasons, to host an event featuring many dogs. Print on both sides and keep it in your pocket. Best if used with Zyrtec. . . .

A Prayer for America’s Veterans and Servicemembers on Veterans Day, by David Abernethy

This is a brief prayer for America’s veterans and service members on Veterans Day . . .

“Avinu Malkeinu,” dvar tefillah by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org)

The words of Avinu Malkeinu are a little different from the standard translation. It doesn’t say in Hebrew, “we have no good deeds” (ein lanu ma’asim tovim), but rather, “there are no deeds in us” (ein banu ma’asim). The p’shat (literal meaning) implies that whatever we have done in the past does not have to live inside of us — we can release our deeds and be released from them, fully, to start over, like a newborn, to become whoever we need to become. . . .

עֲנֵֽנוּ‏ | Egalitarian Aneinu, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

This is an egalitarian version of the Aneinu litany recited at the end of Seliḥot services, featuring equal representation for the women of the Tanakh and Talmud. . . .

כַּוָּנוֹתִי בְּשִׁיר הָאַהֲבָה | Kavvanah for Shir ha-Ahavah (Song of Love), by Mendel Roth

This is Mendel Roth’s prayer upon sharing his Shirat ha-Ahavah (song of love). The text of the prayer was provided in the description to the video on Youtube. English translation of the pointed Hebrew by Aharon Varady. . . .

Song After the Revolution, an adaptation of Psalms 92 for Friday Evening by Rabbi Brant Rosen (Tzedek Chicago)

A paraliturgical adaptation of Psalms 92. . . .

Prayer of the Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives: Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 10 September 2021

The Opening Prayer given in the U.S. House of Representatives on 10 September 2021. . . .

Memorial Day Prayer at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff on 31 May 2021

Invocation for a Memorial Day ceremony at the Washington DC Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. . . .

A Prayer for Those Denied Abortion Care, by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (National Council of Jewish Women 2021)

“A Prayer for Those Denied Abortion Care” was composed collectively by the staff of the National Council of Jewish Women and disseminated on Facebook in response to the regressive health care policies of the State of Texas in the United States in 2021. . . .

תְּפִלָּה לְשׂוֹרְדֵי הַשּׁוֹאָה | Mi sheBerakh for Survivors of the Holocaust, by Rabbi Avi Baumol (2021)

“Holocaust Survivor Prayer” was written in English by Rabbi Avi Baumol in 2021 upon the establishment of Holocaust Survivor Day by the JCC of Krakow, Poland. The prayer was first published at the website of Holocaust Survivor Day. . . .

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ לְבָּרְוָחָה הַנַּפְשִׁית | Mi sheBerakh for Mental Health Wellness (the Blue Dove Foundation, 2021)

We believe Jewish prayers and rituals can help to strengthen our mental well-being, resilience and recovery in the same way middot, or Jewish values, can promote them. Faith is an important part of healing for many, and Jewish thinkers and leaders historically have brought the two together. When someone is ill or recovering from illness or an accident, we often recite a mi sheberakh to wish them a refuah sheleimah, or a “full recovery.” We have expanded this prayer for those who are struggling with mental health with this Mi Sheberakh for Mental Health. –the Blue Dove Foundation . . .

תפלה להסרת מסכה | A Prayer for Removing the Mask, by Rabbi Dr. Dalia Marx and Rabbi Inbar Bluzer Shalem (2021)

“A Prayer for Removing the Mask,” was composed by Rabbi Dr. Dalia Marx and Rabbi Inbar Bluzer Shalem in June 2021. The English translation was made by Alex Cicelsky. . . .

שמחת בת (זבד הבת) | Simḥat Bat: Zeved HaBat (The Gift of a Daughter), a Ceremony Guide to the Naming of a Jewish Girl by Dovi Seldowitz (2021)

This Simḥat Bat ceremony guide includes an order of blessings and ceremony with attention to various traditional customs regarding the use of blessings and prayers. The guide also includes words of Torah and rabbinic teachings which relate to the themes in the guide. . . .

Havdallah: Thinking of those suffering from long-COVID, by Gabriel Kanter-Webber (2021)

Liturgy for a motsei shabbat havdallah ritual centering the experience of those with long-COVID. . . .

A Prayer for the United States of America Right Now, by Rabbi Menachem Creditor (2021)

A prayer for America on the day upon which right-wing militias carried out an insurrection upon the representative democratic institution of the United States. . . .

💬 Purim 2021: From Darkness to Light, by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat & Rabbi David Evan Markus (Bayit, 2021)

Tropified texts for Purim 2021 juxtaposing the text of Queen Esther with the words of Vice President Kamalla Harris and poet laureate Amanda Gorman. . . .

Inauguration Day Prayer for the Government of the United States, by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org 2021)

A prayer for the government of the United States of America on the day of the 59th Presidential Inauguration. . . .

Prayer for When My Children are Vaccinated Against COVID-19, by Cantor Hinda Labovitz (2021)

This prayer for a parent (or primary caregiver) on the vaccination of their children by Cantor Hinda Labovitz was first shared via their Facebook page on 5 November 2021, . . .

Prayer on Inauguration, by Rabbi Arthur Waskow (the Shalom Center, 2021)

A prayer on being present in the moment of the inauguration of the 59th president of the United States. . . .

A Vaccine Prayer, by Rabbi Menachem Creditor (2021)

A prayer upon receiving a vaccination for COVID. . . .

לִשְׁמֹר הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁל שְׁמִטָּה | Candlelighting for Rosh haShanah, Shabbat, and Yom Tov during the Shmitah Year, by Rabbi Arthur Waskow

Four blessings to recite upon commencing the Shmitah year in candlelighting for Rosh haShanah, and to add to subsequent shabbat and festival candlelightings. . . .

עד דלא ידע | Sources and Meditation Instructions for Not-knowing on Purim, by Rabbi Daniel Raphael Silverstein (Applied Jewish Spirituality 2021)

Sources and meditation instructions excerpted from a larger source sheet on Not-knowing, Joy and Purim, from the Applied Jewish Spirituality “Kabbalah Through the Calendar” course. . . .

Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, by Rabbi Barry Block (2021)

A prayer for the government on a day of violent insurrection in the heart of American democracy. . . .

A Prayer of Gratitude Upon Receiving a COVID Vaccination, by Chaya Kaplan-Lester (2021)

A prayer of gratitude upon receiving a COVID vaccination. . . .

📄 שֶׁבַע מִצְוֺת בְּנֵי נֹחַ | the 7 Noaḥide Commands, or those prohibitions mandated upon all of humanity according to early Rabbinic sources

A comprehensive list of the Noaḥide laws recorded in early rabbinic traditions. . . .

Who Can’t Breathe? Three Outcries and a Prayer, by Rabbi Arthur Waskow (the Shalom Center 2021)

A prayer-poem by Rabbi Arthur Waskow in 2021 reflecting on our difficulty breathing, as a society, as humanity, and as a interconnected, interbreathing biosphere. . . .

הַכָּרָת רִבּוֹנוּת הָאָרֶץ | Indigenous Land Acknowledgment for Cincinnati, Ohio, by Aharon Varady (Havayah community, 2021)

An indigenous land acknowledgement for Jewish communities located in the historic lands of the Shawnee and Miami people. . . .

A New Birkat haMazon/Blessing After the Meal, by Rabbi Brant Rosen (2021)

“A New Birkat haMazon/Blessing After the Meal” was first published by Rabbi Brant Rosen via his liturgy blog, Yedid Nefesh (8 March 2021). He writes, “In composing this new Birkat Hamazon/Blessing After the Meal, I maintained the essential structure of the traditional prayer, which consists of four basic spiritual themes or categories. As with the other new liturgies that I’ve written, I seek here to compose Jewish prayers that express a Diasporist ethic; that is to say, liturgy that views the entire world as our “homeland” and resists the influence of modern political Zionism, which has become so thoroughly enmeshed in contemporary Jewish liturgy.” . . .

הושע־נא לימי הקרונה | Hosha-na in the days of Corona for Sukkot 5782, by Rabbi Gustavo Surazski (2021)

A hoshana prayer in the times of the COVID pandemic. . . .

A Prayer for this Moment, Standing at the Mountain, by Rabbi Menachem Creditor (2021)

A pre-Shavuot prayer in the shadow of the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis. . . .

📖 זמירות המזרח: מחזור ליום כפור (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Zemirot haMizraḥ: Maḥzor for Yom Kippur, by Daniel Cayre (Kanisse 2021)

A bilingual Hebrew-English Sepharadi Jewish prayerbook (maḥzor) for Yom Kippur, with gender inclusive language, compiled and translated by Daniel Cayre for Kanisse: a Modern Sephardic + Mizrahi Community. . . .

כַּפָּרוֹת | Kaparōt (using money dedicated for charity), the ritual for the expiation of offenses before Yom Kippur

The ritual of kaparot using a bundle of money dedicated for tsedaqah. . . .

A Man of Value, by Debra Cash

This version of Eyshet Ḥayil replaces valor with value, and while it speaks of man in terms of family, community, and the natural world, it is not heteronormative. . . .

A Kavvanah for Paying Taxes, by Zach Teutsch

A kavvanah for clarifying and elevating the activity of tax preparation. . . .

A Prayer for Remembrance and Peace on Memorial Day, by David Abernethy

A prayer for the observance of Memorial Day in the United States. . . .

📖 סִדּוּר בִּרְכַּת שָׁלוֹם | Siddur Birkat Shalom, an egalitarian Shabbat morning siddur (Havurat Shalom 1991/2021)

סִדּוּר בִּרְכַּת שָׁלוֹם Siddur Birkat Shalom (second edition, 2021) is the shabbat morning prayerbook of Havurat Shalom in Sommerville, Massachusetts. As explained in the Introduction to the first edition (1991), work on the egalitarian siddur began in 1984 by eight members of the ḥavurah. The first edition was dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Simcha Dov Kling (1922-1991). The second edition of Siddur Birkat Shalom is dedicated to the memory of Reena Kling (1954-2017). . . .

Additions to the Rosh haShanah Seder Akhilat haSimanim, from Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org)

If you are doing a Rosh Hashanah seder of simanim (signs, augurs, portents) using food puns, here are some topical additions including for beginning the Shmitah year. . . .

בַּעָל חוֹבֵנוּ | Ba’al Ḥoveinu, a piyut for Seliḥot on the advent of the Shmitah year by Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid·org)

This short piyut touches on these four themes related to Shmitah: release of debts, the rights of the land, the rights of wild animals (who share our food during Shmitah), and the freeing of slaves. The piyut would fit as part of Seliḥot before Rosh haShanah and during Yom Kippur. . . .

כוונה לקראת ישיבת הבורד | Kavvanah before the Meeting of the Board of a Philanthropic Organization, by Limor Rubin

A prayer of intention before the meeting of the board of a philanthropic organization determining the recipients of the largess in their trust. . . .

Tilt: A Prayer for the Winter Solstice, by Trisha Arlin

“Tilt: A Prayer for the Winter Solstice” was first published by the author on her website (17 December 2015). . . .

💬 קְרִיאוֹת לִימֵי ט״וּ בִּשְׁבָט | Torah and Haftarah Readings for the New Year’s Day for Trees, selected by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Torah and Haftarah readings for Tu biShvat selected by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. . . .

How Much Light? A Ḥanukkah Meditation by Rabbi Menachem Creditor

“How Much Light? A Ḥanukkah Meditation” by Rabbi Menachem Creditor was first shared on the second night of Ḥanukkah 5782 (2021) via the Open Siddur Project discussion group on Facebook. . . .

אֶפְתַּח פִּי לְךָ אָדוֹן | Eftaḥ Pi L’kha Adōn, a seliḥah for Kristallnacht by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

There’s a lot of controversy over Yom haShoah as a date. One of the key issues is this: traditionally, the ways Jews mourn communal tragedies is through establishing a fast day. It’s forbidden to fast during the month of Nisan. It’s hard to pick any specific date to commemorate a tragedy as enormous as the Shoah, but one which seems appropriate to me would be 16 Marḥeshvan, the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the November Pogrom. This piyyut is a seliḥah for Kristallnacht, to be recited on 16 Marḥeshvan (or 15 Marḥeshvan on years like 5782 where the sixteenth falls on a Thursday). . . .

כַּוָּנָה וּבְרָכָה עַל רְאִיַּת נְחִיל רֶמֶשׂ גָּדוֹל עַד־מְאוֹד | Kavvanah and Blessing for Observing a Massive Swarm of Creeping Things, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

There are blessings for beautiful vistas, and there are blessings for powerful weather. But is there a blessing for giant swarms of bugs? Certainly! There just wasn’t a kavvanah for it… yet. Inspired by the appearance of Brood X in May 2021, this is a meditation and blessing for the unique experience of seeing an enormous number of non-dangerous insects. Cicadas are NOT a plague — they don’t eat crops or spread disease, but they do help revitalize the soil and keep forest ecosystems healthy. As a natural part of the universal order, we should work to see the divinity and goodness in them, even if we might normally think of them as gross. . . .

סֶֽרַח בַּת־אָשֵׁר | Seraḥ bat Asher, a Havdalah Song by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Some communities have a practice of singing a song about Miriam alongside the well-known Havdalah song about Elijah the Prophet. But Miriam isn’t really a parallel to Elijah — she’s a parallel to Moshe and Aaron. When we’re talking about distaff counterparts to Elijah the clearest example is Seraḥ bat Asher. Seraḥ, the daughter of Asher, is mentioned only a handful of times in the Tanakh, but is given great significance in the midrash. Like Elijah, she is said to have never died but entered Paradise alive, and comes around to the rabbis to give advice or teachings. This song, which includes several references to midrashim about Seraḥ, is meant to be sung to any traditional tune of “Eliyahu haNavi.” It is dedicated to Ḥazzan Joanna Selznick Dulkin (shlit”a), who introduced me to the legends of Seraḥ bat Asher. . . .

קְלִפּוֹת לֶפֶת | Items for the Second Seder Plate: Turnip peels, after the Holocaust remembrance of Pearl Benisch

Pearl Benisch… remembers Passover in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany in the spring of 1945, just days before her liberation. . . .

קָפֶה בֵּית מַכְּסְוֶיל | Items for the Second Seder Plate: Maxwell House coffee

Why is this coffee different from all other coffees? Because Maxwell House coffee is a deeply spiritual representation of the Diaspora experience. . . .