Breathing Praise

Directions: You are invited to breathe with the lines of the poem.

Every breath is your praise.
Nishmat kol hay tevareh.

The infant breath, quick and shallow,
from lungs so new to the task.
The tree breath, a fluttering susurration
of stomata on leaves, opening and closing.
Every breath is your praise.
Nishmat kol hay tevareh.

Max’s last breath, so quiet
I did not see which it was,
as I held her head
and stroked her face,
long after it was taken.
Every breath is your praise.
Nishmat kol hay tevareh.

Dolphin breath, spider breath, jellyfish breath,
laughing breaths, sobbing breaths.
The oceans, churning oxygen through their deeps,
we, filling our lungs with the molecules
of generations before us
and those long after we are gone.
This green, blue, moving, breathing earth.
Every breath is your praise.
Nishmat kol hay tevareh.
 

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

Shop Ritualwell - Discover unique Judaica products

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Presence and Absence: Images of the Divine in Kabbalah

In this study of the Zohar, Rabbi Margie Jacobs will guide you in exploring the Shekhinah, the feminine, immanent, indwelling Sacred Presence, through the use of art materials and reflective writing. Four sessions starting May 7, 2024. 

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.

The Reconstructionist Network