If I Let It: A Kavvanah for Kabbalat Shabbat, by Trisha Arlin
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=6224
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license Date: 2013-03-18
Last Updated: 2025-03-24
Categories: Ḳabbalat Shabbat
Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, first person, gateway, kindling
Excerpt: Shabbat happens, If I let it. . . .
Content:
Contribute a translation |
Source (English) |
|
It grows dark.
I light two candles and drink a sip of wine
And the world changes for one day,
If I let it.
|
|
There will be music
And friendship
And food,
If I allow it.
|
|
There will be Torah
And wisdom
And God-ness,
If I permit it.
|
|
There will be quiet
And napping
And deep rest,
If I open up to it
|
|
There will be study
And expansion
And new ideas,
If I consent to it.
|
|
There will prayer
And blessings
And meditation,
If I give in to it.
|
|
There will be hope
And renewal
And clarity,
If I walk toward it.
|
|
If I let it
If I allow it
If I permit it
If I open up to it
If I consent to it.
If I give in to it.
If I walk toward it
The world changes for one day.
|
|
Shabbat happens,
If I let it.
|
“If I Let It: A Kavanah for Kabbalat Shabbat” was originally posted at Trisha Arlin’s blog, here.
Contributor: Trisha Arlin
Co-authors:
-

Name: Trisha Arlin
Bio: Trisha Arlin is a liturgist, teacher, performer and student of prayer in Brooklyn, NY and was a part-time rabbinic student at the Academy of Jewish Religion (AJR), 2012-18. Trisha was the Liturgist-In-Residence during the National Havurah Committee’s 2014 Summer Institute, has served as Scholar or Artist In Residence at many synagogues where she has read, led services and taught her class, Writing Prayer. since the pandemic began, Trisha has been on Zoom teaching prayer writing, sharing her liturgy and doing readings with Ritualwell, Haggadot.com, for synagogues around the country as well as small freelance groups. She is a founding builder of Bayit’s Liturgical Arts project. Trisha received a BA in Theater from Antioch College in 1975 and MFA in Film (Screenwriting) in 1997 from Columbia University. In 2009/2010, Trisha was an Arts Fellow at the Drisha Institute. In 2011, she graduated from the sixth cohort of the Davennen Leadership Training Institute (DLTI). A longtime member of Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of our Lives, a progressive unaffiliated congregation in Brooklyn NY, Trisha’s liturgy has been used at services and ritual occasions and in newsletter there and at venues of many denominations around the world. Her work has been published in her book, Place Yourself: Words of Poetry and Intention (a collection of liturgy and kavannot. Foreword by Rabbi Jill Hammer, Artwork by Mike Cockrill. 2019 Dimus Parrhesia Press); the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion; Seder Tefillot, Forms of Prayer: Prayers for the High Holydays (Movement for Reform Judaism); B’chol Levavecha (CCAR Press); Beside Still Waters: A Journey of Comfort and Renewal (Bayit & Ben Yehuda Press); A Poet’s Siddur (Ain’t Got No Press); Studies in Judaism and Pluralism (Ben Yehuda Press) and can be found online at TrishaArlin.com, at RitualWell, and of course, the Open Siddur Project. You can support her work by buying her book, making a one time donation through PayPal @trishaarlin or monthly support via Patreon.
Website: https://triganza.blogspot.com
Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/trisha-arlin
Featured Image:

Title: Benches_-_Freedom_Theatre_in_Jenin_031_-_Aug_2011
Caption: "Benches in the Freedom Theatre in Jenin, West Bank" (credit: Guillaume Paumier, license: CC-BY 3.0 Unported)