Teshuvah… Turning and returning… To our breath, to our souls…
Elohai NeshamahSoul Shenatah Bi, Tehorah Hi
My G-d, the Neshamah, the soul that you have given me is pure
You have placed it within me, given it to me at birth…
Within each one of us, there is a pure soul
A tender, soft place to which we can always return…
Today, on Yom KippurThe holiest day of the Jewish year and the culmination of a season of self-reflection. Jews fast, abstain from other worldly pleasures, and gather in prayers that last throughout the day. Following Ne'ilah, the final prayers, during which Jews envision the Gates of Repentance closing, the shofar is sounded in one long blast to conclude the holy day. It is customary to begin building one's sukkah as soon as the day ends., the Day of Atonement… The Day of At-One-ment
We open to our Neshamot – to our pure, divine souls.
Finally becoming at-one with our truest selves….
As the gates of Teshuvah stand wide open to us on this Yom Kippur
Let us fully open our souls to forgiveness – forgiving loved ones, forgiving community
Forgiving ourselves…
The Neshamah, the breath of soul, allows us to access the Divine,
to reach the holy and sacred places within us…
We chant the prayer slowly and breathe its words:
Elohai Neshamah Shenatah Bi, Tehorah Hi
We return to the Neshamah, the soul
For it contains the breath, holds divinity, touches Oneness.
We return to our true selves… our best selves… our pure selves.
On this day of At-one-ment
Let us return to the best within us, individually and as a community
Elohai Neshamah Shenatah Bi, Tehorah Hi
My G-d, the soul of our community, the soul of each one of us
Is pure.
On this Day of At-one-ment,
We ask you, G-d,
Help us to open the gates of forgiveness
Help us to access our pure souls
Help us, Dear G-d, to finally be At-one.
