Our writing, like Torah, is a window into our soul

Liturgical music weaves a magical story. Using the same text (prayer) a composition might elevate you, energize you, or bring you into a completely transcendent moment. Here is how several composers weave our Shabbat text, V’shamru, which reminds us of our Holy Covenant with God through Shabbat, and the wondrous works of God’s creation. We can both celebrate joyously and rest peacefully over this gift of 25 hours.

Most folks don’t know I wear hearing aids. They are pretty hard to see! It is a miracle that, while I was born with hearing loss, I have near-perfect pitch and was gifted with a voice I am honored to use to help people connect to the Divine. JDAIM stands for Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month. I do not consider myself diagnosed with a disability, although I am committed to inclusivity regardless of ability. It was meaningful to share my story of overcoming an invisible obstacle.

I shared this sermon during the Mincha (afternoon) section of Yom Kippur over COVID. Psalm 23 reminds us that throughout our lives, during our innocent youth, as we encounter the cracks and twists of life’s curving (and surprising) path, God is always with us, from light, through darkness, to light again.

This poem is my interpretation of crossing the Red Sea upon the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Today we continue to fight for freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom for our bodies, freedom for…?

It took four incredibly hard years to become a mother. Something that was so easy for everyone else required doctor’s appointments, painful tests, heartache and lost pregnancies, until finally IVF gave us our miracle daughter, Lavender Philippa Adesnik.

Each of us has a voice, unique to our person; to our soul. This is unapologetically, proudly, mine.