Open My Heart
Living Jewish Prayer: A Podcast from IJS
Welcome to Open My Heart: Living Jewish Prayer. Each Monday and Friday, a different teacher will offer a new short prayer-practice, inviting you to join them. From one episode to the next, the practice, and the voices will be different. No one presenter, and no one prayer, will necessarily work for everyone. But our hope (and expectation) is that over time, joining in these prayers will lead you to find your own authentic and meaningful prayer practice and open your heart to prayer.
Listen to our most recent episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet your host, Rabbi Jonathan Slater, Senior Program Director. Rabbi Slater has worked with IJS since 2002, having participated in the first rabbinic cohort. He is a co-director of the Clergy Leadership Program, and serves in multiple programs throughout the organization. Rabbi Slater was ordained by JTS and served congregations in northern California for over twenty years.
Meet the Composer of “Open”
Episode 53: Meet the Composer of “Open”
Each week we have been blessed to hear the first moments of the composition “Open” by Judith Silver. This week we meet her, and learn about how she came to write Jewish music, and how “Open” came to be. A true blessing!
Read the episode transcript
Thank You, Shekhinah, for Blessing This Day
Episode 42: Thank You, Shekhinah, for Blessing This Day Rabbi Jill Hammer is the co-founder of the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute, which is a training program in earth based embodied feminist Jewish leadership and spiritual life. She invites us to join in a...
Opening, through Song and Chant, to My Body and Soul
Episode 41: Opening, through Song and Chant, to My Body and Soul Particularly in the West, body and soul exist in two different domains. This is true for classical Judaism, as well. But, they are not separate, they live in one, intimate unity. It takes work to awaken...
The Words of the Siddur: Evocative Poetry of the Soul
Episode 40: The Words of the Siddur: Evocative Poetry of the Soul Often, when a book is placed before us we think we have to read it. But, that is not what we are supposed to do with the prayer-book. We're supposed to use it to open our hearts to prayer. Rabbi Ruth...
Bringing God Into Our Bodies through Reiki, the Sefirot, and Adon Olam
Episode 39: Bringing God Into Our Bodies through Reiki, the Sefirot, and Adon Olam Spiritual life is all encompassing, and there is no dimension of our lived experience that is outside of its concern. In the same way, most spiritual traditions intuit and focus on...
Finding Balance Each Morning
Episode 38: Finding Balance Each Morning How do you start your day? What does it mean to "get out on the wrong side of the bed"? What prepares you to meet the world fully, with the whole of your being? Cantor Bat-Ami Moses offers us a practice of bringing Netzach --...
Unify Our Hearts — in Love
Episode 37: Unify Our Hearts -- in Love So much of our lives can feel scattered. What should I be doing now? Is there somewhere I should be (or not be)? What am I feeling? How is my heart? We pray "Unify our hearts to love and reverence Your Name" -- and through this...
