Lead Us Upright to Our Land (excerpt) By Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman Remember how waving the lulav and etrog is a Jewish rain dance?  In Judaism, we are asked to perform rituals with kavannah, a clear and focused mindset. How do I put my kavannah into praying for the right rains while engaging in a practice that signals business as usual in overseas travel and agriculture, both of which are directly contributing to the wrong rains, at the wrong times, in...

Apologia By Rachel Kann Forgive me, I have done it all wrong. In every way that I hoped not to act, I have failed. Forgive me, I love you beyond logic Where the loudest blossoms shout yellow, pink. Listen to the fragrance of bloom. Inhale the whisper of nature. My lips part for your kiss only. You know my mouth’s deep intimacy. This is my long-form farewell tour. I am but a bank of buttons and knobs Laid plain for you...

Soul Nidre  By Rachel Kann    I said I did my best,  but I know there is better yet  within this lonely bag of bones, forgive me. I tried, but not hard enough, forgive me. I gave up, forgive me. I disrespected my inner wisdom, forgive me. I lied when I said I was fine,  I’m not fine, forgive me. I took your pure love for granted,  mishandled your divinity, forgive me. I swept my indiscretions under the rug  instead of addressing...

And G!d says: “And if you have lost this year; if you have known grief newly, if you suffer the ache of old mourning come back, and back, and back, then we have made a place for you to mourn. Here, in the middle of the day, inside these walls: a container. We will hold your grief for you, so that you may continue the work. It will be there when you leave, yes, but for now, set your grief in...