The Melody & The Primal Cry

We all take for granted that prayers have words. Every religion has traditional readings that are composed by its most esteemed and knowledgeable leaders. They are well versed in the theological philosophies of that religion, and figure out the best way to standardize the moments that we take every day to connect with our G0d.

We often stray away from the traditional liturgy to compose our own prayers. We reflect on our personal life, and from the recesses of our minds and hearts our prayer is composed. The text of this prayer is tailor made for our current situation and exact mood. It expresses exactly what we think and fell right now.

But can words really contain the true power of our thoughts? How can letters capture the immense energy of my feelings and emotions? The answer is that indeed words cannot fully express our essential self. The only way that we can bring out our inner most self is not by words but by song, especially the melodies without words. According to Kabbalah the song is the quill of the soul. Melody allows for our essential self to be known to ourselves and others.

Kabbalisitic masters have composed hundreds of songs with various meaning behind them, for us to use as inspiration, and for us to be able to express our inner most selves in our daily meetings with our G0d. For more on the Jewish tradition of song read this summary by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Do yourself a favor and listen to this classic prayer melody - The Three Stanzas.

Digging deeper, it seems that melodies have limitations too. Each melody has a specific rhythm to it. Some songs elicit joy, some induce deep yearnings, and some melodies remind us of how small we are. But the essence our soul is deeply connected to G0d beyond the limitations of joy, sadness or any mistake that we can ever make. The only way to connect G0d on that level is through the Primal Cry. No tune, no notes, no melody. Just a simple sound coming out from the depth of our soul, reaching out to the highest of high, connecting with our loving and accepting G0d.

This month, as we prepare to enter the new Jewish Year, we conclude our daily morning with a blast of the Shofar - a ram's horn. There are many meaning to this practice, the most profound one being that the Shofar is our way of expressing our deepest self, through a Primal Cry. The Primal Cry takes us past all of our limitations, and puts us in touch with our purest self, which is in turn in touch with the essence of G0d.

So, next time you think of prayer, think beyond words. Consider a melody, or perhaps even a Primal Cry. You may sound like a baby crying for its parent, but that a good thing...

What I Learned from Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

From the post Humility & Gratitude

I learned not only does Rabbi Pinson have a sense of humor but also of HODU. The Hebrew word for turkey is HODU which means "be grateful."

As my son reads from The Power he speaks frequently how we need to be grateful. He catches me complaining in conversation and has no fear in correcting my attitude. What a gift.

So Rabbi Pinson speaks of the need to pray and meditate in order to have a conscious contact with God. He says his secret to this connection is his humility. I have heard it said that if you claim your humble you must really not be humble. But in this case that statement is truly wrong as I see the connection clearly. What I learned is you are humbling yourself when you know your NOT God. The act of prayer and meditation is living the belief that I am NOT God. I can have the humility to know that a greater force is in charge.

I love that gratitude and humility go hand in hand. That you can not have one without the other. If you have not read his post you must, I can not explain it in any way that will give his words justice.

Thank you for teaching me these lessons Rabbi Pinson!

Connect with Rabbi Pinson

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Humility & Gratitude

By Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

Since I moved to the United States I learned that November means two things: Turkey and Gratitude. Thankfully I am well versed in the Hebrew language, and I didn't have to memorize much: the word in Hebrew for turkey - HODU, means... "Be Grateful"... And it is also the first word of my prayer every morning. The Jewish Prayers start with the verse from Chronicles 16:8 "Be grateful to the L0rd, proclaim His Name, make his deeds known among the nations".

In order to improve my conscious contact with G0d, I need to pray and meditate. The key to my prayer and the secret to my connection, is my humility. That brings us back to the word HODU, which can also be translated as "Be Humble". Can I really connect to a Higher Power if I think I am a higher power myself? Will I be willing to ask for G0d's will for me and the power to carry it out, if all I am concerned about is my own will and desires?

Gratitude is also impossible without humility. If I believe that all my success can be traced to my own power, I have no reason to be grateful. If I am convinced that I truly deserve all the gifts that are coming my way, I have no need to say Thank You. The only way to have gratitude is when I have the humility to recognize that I am not all that powerful. When I acknowledge that left to my own devices I have repeatedly engaged in unhealthy behaviors with negative consequences, I can be grateful to G0d that helps me stay away from my dysfunctional self.

And the best way to express my humility is to show gratitude. It is not enough to think humble, or to speak humble, but I have to act humble. I act humble, when I act grateful. When I recognize that what I have is a gift, it is natural for me to share the gift with others. When I appreciate actions that others take to help me, I am compelled to take actions to help others.

So, every morning, as I start my day I am reminded of three things: HODU - Be Humble. HODU: Be Grateful. HODU: Don't forget your turkey sandwich for lunch...


Rabbi Yisrael Pinson
Daniel B. Sobel Friendship House
thefriendshiphouse.org
JewishRecovery.org
JewsInTheRooms.com
twitter.com/RecoveryRabbi
facebook.com/JewishRecovery

What I Learned from Rabbi Yisrael Pinson

Read The Joy of Praying by Rabbi Pinson.

Joy is not usually the first thing that comes to mind when I think of prayer. This is why I love reading when Rabbi Pinson writes. What a wonderful way to look at prayer. For some reason when I think of prayer I think about the work of it and the seriousness of what I am praying about. I rarely put the connection together with the positive results of prayer. In reading this post I am once again reminded of the daily "leg work that creates such joy."

I learned from Rabbi Pinson that to get that inner joy it takes commitment and self improvement. It takes work but when done right that work will produce inner joy. I am ready to do the work!

Thank you Rabbi Yisrael Pinson for your insight on inner joy.

The Joy of Praying

As a member of the Jewish faith, I have been doing a lot of praying in the past few weeks. The High Holiday rituals include many prayers, most of them recited in Synagogue with the community. Some of the prayers express our repentance, some our commitments. Some prayers express our relationships, some our yearnings. Some prayers are solemn, some are informal. No matter what prayer I am reciting, no matter what emotion I am expressing, there is always a common thread to all my readings: The privilege of having a relationship with G-d. That privilege fills me up with Joy.

Joy can express itself in many channels. There is external joy that is very visual and easy for others to observe. When I dance, when I sing, when I laugh, when I smile -- I am producing tangible actions that accompany my joy, external cues to my inner happiness. Unfortunately, I can also be sad on the inside, and still be able to fake these external motions of joy. I also sometimes believe that I am happy, and act accordingly when in reality I am miserable.

Often I hear from recovering addicts who talk about artificial joy that comes from mood altering substances. The allusion that a plant, a drink or a pill can change my inner emotions from sadness to joy. In reality, only the most external layers of emotion can be altered so easily. Our inner feelings require hard work in order to be modified.

The inner joy, that comes from commitment and self improvement, doesn't necessarily express itself so easily. The inner satisfaction of doing the right thing is not always accompanied by a dance or a song. But when done right inner work produces inner joy.

As I share this with you, the High Holidays are right behind us, and we are entering the Holiday of Sukkot. This week we celebrate externally by dancing and singing, by sharing meals in the outdoors, and by carrying a bundle of plants around. At this time it is easier for us to feel the joy, but in reality the joy is available to us only because we did the hard work of repenting and recommitting during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

This year I hope to achieve inner joy in my everyday life by doing the leg work that creates such joy. This year I will remind myself that prayer includes both the work and the reward. By praying right I get to celebrate right. By connecting my inner self with G-d during prayer, I also awaken my inner joy.

Happy Praying!

Rabbi Yisrael Pinson
CHABAD.ORG