Hashiveinu, by Kohenet Ilana Joy Streit (2013) • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, Prayers as poems, תשובה teshuvah

Excerpt: A playful, expansive, embodied riff on "Hashiveinu Hashem eilecha v'nashuva, ḥadesh yameinu k'kedem." Suitable for Tisha B'Av, Elul, the Days of Awe, and every day. . . .

Content:

Hashiveinu

Return us to ourselves
Return us to each other

Return us to the earth
Return us to our Land: the land beneath our feet

Return us to This Moment

Return us to our knowing
remembering that we know

Return us to our rhythms
Return us to our drums

Return us to sleep in the middle of the night

Return us to our deepest desires
our shared loves
our clear visions

Return us to our bodies
to our breath
to breathing easily

Return us to knowing
how beautiful we are

Return us to ourselves
Return us to each other

Return us to our good questions
  our bare feet
  our brilliant minds
  our singing voices
Return us to falling in love
  with ourselves
    and each other

Return us to our Shrines
and to our shrine-keeping

Return us to our places of peacemaking

Return us to trusting each other
and ourselves

Return us
turn us
and we will dance and be held
and behold that we are whole

and be in harmony with You

Return us
keep turning us
for everything is within us
for Torah will keep coming out of us

for sweetness is
within us
and longs to return to You

A playful, expansive, embodied riff on Eikhah 5:21 הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ ה׳ אֵלֶיךָ ונשוב [וְנָשׁוּבָה] חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם (Hashiveinu Hashem eilekha v’nashuva, ḥadeish yameinu k’qedem). Suitable for Tishah b’Av, Elul, the Days of Awe, and every day. You can listen to a recording of this text being chanted at Soundcloud.

[Financial contributions are most welcome, and support further creation and sharing of Ilana’s creative work. You can see and hear more of Ilana’s creative work on her Patreon page. Or to make a one-time contribution, Venmo (@Ilana-Streit).]

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Featured Image:

Title: pinkyone – Fotolia
Caption: pinkyone - Fotolia