כָּל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא,
נָטִיף טַלָּא
מֵעַתִּיקָא קַדִּישָׁא
לִזְעֵיר אַפִּין,
וּמִתְבָּרְכָאן
כָּל חֲקַל תַּפּוּחִין קַדִּישִׁין.
Every day
dew trickles
from the Holy Ancient One
to the Impatient One,
and blessed is
the Holy Apple Orchard.
(ה) וְתָא חֲזֵי, כָּל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, נָטִיף טַלָּא מֵעַתִּיקָא קַדִּישָׁא לִזְעֵיר אַפִּין, וּמִתְבָּרְכָאן כָּל חֲקַל תַּפּוּחִין קַדִּישִׁין. וּמֵהַהוּא טַלָּא אַנְגִּיד לְאִינוּן דִּלְתַתָּא, וּמַלְאָכִין קַדִּישִׁין אִתְּזָנוּ מִנֵּיהּ, כָּל חַד וְחַד כְּפוּם מֵיכָלֵיהּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים ע״ח:כ״ה) לֶחֶם אַבִּירִים אָכַל אִישׁ, וּמֵהַהוּא מְזוֹנָא אָכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַדְבְּרָא.
Beshalach: Verse 372
Come and behold, every day the dew of the Ancient Holy one {Atika Kadisha} drips to the Impatient One {Zeir Anpin}, and the whole Field of Holy Apples is blessed, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and from that, dew is drawn to these below. The holy angels are nourished from it, each one according to his ability to eat. This is what is written, "Man ate the bread of angels" (Tehilim 78:25); NAMELY, THAT DEW MENTIONED EARLIER, WHICH IS THE BREAD OF ANGELS. Yisrael ate of that food in the wilderness, THE MANNA.
He sent them provision in plenty.
To consider:
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What does our relationship with water look like when it is scarce? Invisible?
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What other blessings are within our reach, yet unnoticed?
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What forms of sufficiency are you calling into your life?
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From a previous week: How does our source of water impact our relationship with the divine?
Jewish liturgy slices the year into two seasons. The poetry we recite when the seasons change indicates what is coming. On Sukkot, the end of the dry season, we pray for the coming rainy season. But on Passover, with the dry season beginning, we pray for the blessing of dew.
Praying for rain is more instinctual than praying for dew. Rain can be seen and quantified. Metaphorically, rain represents abundance and the flow of life. It is more difficult to pray for dew. We are literally calling in something small, difficult to see, and often fleeting. Praying for the tiny droplets of morning dew invites us to shift our outlook to enough-ness.
So much of our society defines thriving as acquisition: more money, more possessions, more titles, and more education. Dew reminds us that huge life achievements are not the best measurement of happiness.
Excerpt from "Yizal Mayim: Water Flowing Through the Seasons: Ritual Weaving for the 21st Century" - by Kohenet Shamirah Bechirah aka Sarah Chandler - The Sacred Earth: Jewish Perspectives on Our Planet
CCAR Press - expected publication 2023 - the newest addition to the Challenge and Change series.
מחזור ליום כפור ספרד
וְכַךְ הָיְתָה תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל. יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ ה' אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁתְּהֵא שָׁנָה זוּ הַבָּאָה עָלֵינוּ וְעַל כָּל עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהֵם אִם שְׁחוּנָה גְּשׁוּמָה. וְאַל יִכָּנֵס לְפָנֶיךָ תְּפִלַּת עוֹבְרֵי דְרָכִים לְעִנְיַן הַגֶּשֶׁם בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָעוֹלָם צָרִיךְ לוֹ. וְשֶׁלֹּא יִצְטָרְכוּ עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפַרְנָסָה זֶה לָזֶה וְלֹא לְעַם אַחֵר. שָׁנָה שֶׁלֹּא תַפִּיל אִשָּׁה פְּרִי בִטְנָהּ וְשֶׁיִּתְּנוּ עֲצֵי הַשָּׂדֶה אֶת תְּנוּבָתָם וְלָא יַעֲדֵי עֲבִיד שׁוּלְטָן מִדְּבֵית יְהוּדָה:
(תלמוד בבלי מסכת תענית דף כד עמוד ב)
The following was the prayer of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur (Musaf/Avodah Service):
May it be Your will, Lord our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that this coming year shall be for us and for all Your people, the House of Israel, wherever they are, rich in rain if it is hot. And when the world is in need of rain, do not permit the prayers of travelers with regard to rain to gain entrance before You. May Your people, the House of Israel, not be dependent for their livelihood upon one another nor upon any other people. May it be a year that no woman suffers miscarriage; and that the trees of the field yield their produce; and may the ruler of the Jewish People always be appointed from among
the House of Judah.
- Based on Babylonian Talmud, Masechet Ta’anit 24b
(ב) בְּאַרְבָּעָה פְרָקִים הָעוֹלָם נִדּוֹן, בְּפֶסַח עַל הַתְּבוּאָה, בַּעֲצֶרֶת עַל פֵּרוֹת הָאִילָן, בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה כָּל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם עוֹבְרִין לְפָנָיו כִּבְנֵי מָרוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים לג) הַיּוֹצֵר יַחַד לִבָּם, הַמֵּבִין אֶל כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם. וּבֶחָג נִדּוֹנִין עַל הַמָּיִם:
(2) At four times of the year the world is judged: On Passover judgment is passed concerning grain; on Shavuot concerning fruits that grow on a tree on Rosh HaShana, all creatures pass before Him like sheep [benei maron], as it is stated: “He Who fashions their hearts alike, Who considers all their deeds” (Psalms 33:15); and on the festival of Sukkot they are judged concerning water, i.e., the rainfall of the coming year.
Of the dew of heaven and the fat of the earth,
Abundance of new grain and wine.
(29) Let peoples serve you,
And nations bow to you;
Be master over your brothers,
And let your mother’s sons bow to you.
Cursed be they who curse you,
Blessed they who bless you.” (30) No sooner had Jacob left the presence of his father Isaac—after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob—than his brother Esau came back from his hunt.
“See, your abode shall enjoy the fat of the earth
And the dew of heaven above.
(40) Yet by your sword you shall live,
And you shall serve your brother;
But when you grow restive,
You shall break his yoke from your neck.”
"Praying for dew means asking for the capacity to honor this moment and not ask for anything else. What would it look like to stop pushing away the present moment, hoping the next will be more fulfilling? What would it look like to live with a mindset of sufficiency, to allow ourselves to do more with less?"
Excerpt from "Tefillat Tal: Cultivating a Mindset of Sufficiency"
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-prayer-for-dew-cultivating-a-mindset-of-sufficiency/
Tefilat Tal
Dew meditation practice:
Try sitting comfortably with eyes open. Find some dew on grass or rocks, or if it’s not early morning or late at night, dip a hand or a few fingers in some water. Watch and feel the textures and sensation of the water. How long does it take for the water to evaporate or absorb into your skin? Notice how the textures and sensations change. Notice which thoughts and feelings arise. Notice if anything changes. Is the water enough? Do you want more? Less? Breathe through it all.
As your hand becomes dry, breathe out one more time.
Dew is our teacher, reminding us about the sacredness of sufficiency. May our prayers for dew be an opportunity for expressing joy, even when it is fleeting. May the ephemeral dew of spring reinvigorate our capacity for small drops of loving-kindness, toward oneself or for another. As we turn our liturgy toward the season of dew prayers, may the faith of Dayenu resound in our hearts and in our lives.
Excerpt from "Tefillat Tal: Cultivating a Mindset of Sufficiency"
In praying for something as fleeting and nearly invisible as dew, this Passover prayer honors the transition from abundance to enough-ness.
Article by Kohenet Shamirah aka Sarah Chandler
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-prayer-for-dew-cultivating-a-mindset-of-sufficiency/
Hazan Basya Schechter's recording of her melody for Tefilat Tal
VirtualSeder.org clip from 2020: Rochtzah
The second hand washing uses abundant water. Though we usually dry off the extra droplets left on our hands, raise them up and allow them to air dry as recognition of our gratitude for waters of purification.