I have never been a morning person, but I must admit that on most days I am grateful to be awake.
Every morning we recite Shirat HaYam, the song that the Israelites sang upon reaching the other side of the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 15:1):
אָשִׁירָה לַיהוָה כִּי-גָאֹה גָּאָה, סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם.
Ashira ladonai ki ga-oh ga-ah, sus verokhevo ramah vayam.
I will sing to God, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea.
The point is one of gratitude for redemption; every morning we acknowledge the story of the parting of the sea, as if we have just crossed it ourselves. And to our ancestors, making it through the night was not unlike crossing the sea; redemption comes every morning.
There are those of us today who might see redemption as surviving the day rather than the night, so one might just as easily recite Shirat HaYam in the evening. Which would you prefer?
Showing posts with label morning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label morning. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Tuesday Morning Kavvanah, 2/8/2011 - At Dawn I Seek You
When I was in cantorial school, I was once tasked with bringing a couple of new cantorial students up to speed on the morning minyan. One of them, after her first morning minyan experience, remarked to me, "What a great way to start the day!"
Dawn is the holiest moment of the day. Quiet and reflective, the arrival of the first light recalls God's first act in the Torah, the separation of darkness and light.
The 11th century Spanish-Jewish poet Solomon ibn Gabirol wrote a brief poem about dawn, Shahar Avaqeshkha, found in Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, p. 103, in which the poet accurately portrays the prayerful sweet spot of the day:
At dawn I seek You, Refuge, Rock sublime;
My morning prayers I offer, and those at evening time.
I tremble in Your awesome presence, contrite,
For my deepest secrets lie stripped before Your sight.
My tongue, what can it say? My heart, what can it do?
What is my strength, what is my spirit too?
But should music be sweet to You in mortal key,
Your praises I will sing so long as breath's in me.
Nearly a millennium later, ibn Gabirol's words still apply.
Dawn is the holiest moment of the day. Quiet and reflective, the arrival of the first light recalls God's first act in the Torah, the separation of darkness and light.
The 11th century Spanish-Jewish poet Solomon ibn Gabirol wrote a brief poem about dawn, Shahar Avaqeshkha, found in Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, p. 103, in which the poet accurately portrays the prayerful sweet spot of the day:
At dawn I seek You, Refuge, Rock sublime;
My morning prayers I offer, and those at evening time.
I tremble in Your awesome presence, contrite,
For my deepest secrets lie stripped before Your sight.
My tongue, what can it say? My heart, what can it do?
What is my strength, what is my spirit too?
But should music be sweet to You in mortal key,
Your praises I will sing so long as breath's in me.
Nearly a millennium later, ibn Gabirol's words still apply.
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