Contributors

Trisha Arlin

Brooklyn , US

Trisha Arlin is a writer, performer and student of prayer in Brooklyn, NY and, since September 2012, a rabbinic student at the Academy of Jewish Religion (AJR). In the summer of 2014, Trisha will be the Liturgist in Residence at the National Havurah Committee Summer Institute. Trisha's work has been published online on RitualWell.org, the Open Siddur Project , Jewish Futures and the New Vilna Review and on her blog, www.triganza.blogspot.com. She has presented her prayers and kavannot and teachers her workshop, Writing Personal Prayer, at Kolot Chayeinu in Brooklyn, Shavuot Across Brooklyn, NHC Summer Institute and other congregations in the New York area.

Blessing For Hand Washing During a Pandemic

by Trisha Arlin

As we wash our hands We pray, Blessed is the Soul of the Universe, Breathing us in and breathing us out. May our breaths continue And our health and the health of all Be preserved In this time of sickness and fear of sickness. Holy Wholeness, We take as much responsibility for this as we can By observing the obligation to wash our hands Thoroughly: For as long as it takes to say this prayer. Amen בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָ׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ...

The Afflicted Matza

by Trisha Arlin

The top MatzohAnd bottom Matzoh are,it is said,Pesach substitutesFor the two loaves of challah on Shabbat,Supposedly a reminderOf the two portions of mannaThey received in the dessertEvery Friday before Shabbat. But the middle matza?!Ah,That's for the seder.We break it in halfAnd call it the bread of affliction,Just like the unleavened breadWe ate as we fled slavery Matza Number Two,The afflicted matza, We break it in halfAnd separate ourselves from joySo we don't forget the painThat has been ours.We break it in...

After Such A Fine Story: Blessing After Eating the Seder Meal

by Trisha Arlin

רַבּוֹתַי נְבָרֵךְ All who sit around these tables, Friends and strangers, In peaceful conversation And pleasant disagreement, Those who remember and those who are remembered, On this Pesakh, We have shared this fine meal And such a fine story, We take this moment to acknowledge That we are blessed And, in our turn, We bless. בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּך שְׁמוֹ Blessed be the Creator and the created, Blessed be the sustainers and the sustained. Blessed be the eaters and the eaten, Blessed...

The Four Cups

by Trisha Arlin

We will drink the first of four cups of wineAnd give up controlTo the wine, to the story, to God.We are in Mitzrayim, the narrow place, And God says to us:I Shall Take You Out,I Shall Rescue You,I Shall Redeem You,I Shall Take You to Me. Sanctify the day with the First Cup.I Shall Take You Out, sez God,From the burdens of Egypt.That's nice. But what about The burdens of now?War, sex slavery, exploitation, inequality,Not much changes.We better get out from...

-- Four Children

Why This Night: Four Children and Five Rabbis

by Trisha Arlin

So this is Maggid,The part of the seder where we tell the storyOf leaving Egypt.Actually,We spend more time talking about talking about the storyThen telling the actual story.Very meta is our haggadah,With many numbers,Lots of fours:Four questionsFour cups of wineFour children, Four ways of asking,Why is this night different from all other nights? The first child, Book smart.The wise childKnows all the rules.He's direct,No messin' around,This is what you do on Pesach:Tell the storyDip the herbsReclineDrink four cupsDon't eat leavened breadAsk...

Two Cups: Elijah and Miriam

by Trisha Arlin

What was the seder table when we only had Elijah’s cup? Incomplete. We open the door for Elijah, Angry prophet of the world to come. And we ask God to pay attention To the fire from the sky that was Elijah’s gift. Regretted necessity. Elijah announces the Moshiach Who then saves the Jews! Elijah, the bringer of justice. When you open the door don’t just say the prayer Read the translation, It’s a little scary So invite that in. Bring the...

Trisha Arlin's Haggadah

Trisha Arlin's Haggadah

by Trisha Arlin

After Such A Fine Story: Blessing After Eating the Seder Meal

by Trisha Arlin

רַבּוֹתַי נְבָרֵךְ All who sit around these tables, Friends and strangers, In peaceful conversation And pleasant disagreement, Those who remember and those who are remembered, On this Pesakh, We have shared this fine meal And such a fine story, We take this moment to acknowledge That we are blessed And, in our turn, We bless. בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבָרוּך שְׁמוֹ Blessed be the Creator and the created, Blessed be the sustainers and the sustained. Blessed be the eaters and the eaten, Blessed...

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