Liturgy & Ritual

Jewish ritual is the poetry of action. Through blessings, prayers, and sacred gestures, the ordinary is transformed into a meeting place with the Divine. Repeated words and movements carve pathways in the soul, turning time into memory and habit into holiness.

  • Grace - hands

    Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur

    A Eulogy for a Christian Who Helped my Religiosity

    In Jewish Thought and Philosophy, Liturgy & Ritual and Yom Kippur by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    I was asked to eulogize an acquaintance from my childhood and youth in Holland—the mother of friends of mine. As I prepared the eulogy, I realized how much she and her family, and other devout Christians I knew, had influenced me. Despite the clear and definite differences between our religious outlooks, their sincerity and intent inspire me.

  • Western Wall

    What Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Said to the Women of the Wall

    In Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Our Torah is wide enough and deep enough to cater for everyone. The Torah can speak to each and every person; however, sometimes one aspect will speak to a specific individual while not another. In this impromptu dialogue, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach expresses a number of very significant, critical thoughts about Judaism, God, the Torah, and our own relations with our fellow.

  • The Curse of Fluency

    In Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Praying to God can be risky! All of us frequently succumb to the danger of prayer by rote, which can easily lead to other serious problems. The worshipers may be so arrogantly satisfied with themselves that they completely forget before Whom they stand while praying.

  • Against Indifference

    A Prayer for the World

    In Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    A prayer against indifference, not just a prayer to God; but a reminder to us not to remain indifferent to the pain in our world and to what requires our care and serious attention.

  • The Art of Praying

    In Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    How does man dare to speak to God, the Master of the Universe? The presumption that man can just open his mouth and believe that God will listen to him is unrivaled impertinence. When someone wishes to get an audience with the Queen, much paperwork has to be done, many meetings are held by ministers and officials, and security issues are considered.

  • The Inscrutable God

    In Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    Few prayers are more perplexing than the one called “Ein Keloh-einu.” This famous song is chanted at the end of the morning prayers. But it makes little sense. In fact, it seems more than just odd. We first sing “Ein Keloh-einu” (There is nobody like our God), and then we ask “Mi-Keloh-einu” (Who is like […]

  • The Protest of a Bracha

    In Halacha and Liturgy & Ritual by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo

    While many of us still live with the notion of surprise, this, we have convinced ourselves, is nothing but the result of our limited understanding and knowledge of our world.