Mishkan HaNefesh: Finding Your Space

Mishkan HaNefesh, Yom Kippur p. 198

We know the immense power of joining together in communal prayer. But, our tradition also affirms the sacred act of personal connection. With this text, we connect with generations before us who have found deep spiritual meaning in taking time to be alone with the Holy One. Wherever your find yourself at this moment, how can you create sacred space for this private encounter?

In the depths of night, by the edge of the river,
Jacob was left alone.

In heartfelt longing, in the temple of God,
Channah uttered her prayer alone.

In the barren wilderness, in doubt and despair,
Elijah found God alone.

On the holiest day, in the Holy of Holies,
the High Priest entered alone.

We are bound to one another in myriad ways,
but each soul needs time to itself.

In solitude we meet the Solitary One;
Silence makes space for the still small voice.

For the Psalmist says: “Deep calls unto deep.”
From the depths of our soul, we seek what is most profound.

Excerpts from Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe © 2015 are under the copyright protection of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and used by permission of the CCAR. All rights reserved.