According to Jewish tradition, during the High Holy days, beginning with Rosh Hashana and ending with Yom Kippur, the gates of heaven stand open, and our access to the presence of God is at its fullest.
While an extraordinary time for repentance and transformation it is also a time to recall Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s thoughts after marching from Selma to Montgomery with Dr. Martin Luther King. ”Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship.”
| When we pray with our feet To participate in a Black Lives Matter protest To register voters To support and protect our transgender siblings under attack To demand justice for those who suffer and whose voices are rarely heard God hears without any static The purity in our hearts And the desire to be aligned with God’s eternal’s divine being. The next time we wrap ourselves in tallitot* or unroll sajjādat* Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary, or any sacred prayers Let us remember These are preparations for the most sacred of all prayers Those done with our feet by Ariel Gold * Jewish prayer shawls ** Muslim prayer rugs |
