Join us for an hour of prayer, poetry, and conversation with liturgist Alden Solovy and Rabbis Leon Morris and Hara Person. The event is a celebration of the launch of Alden’s new CCAR Press book This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, the third in a trilogy with This Grateful Heart and This Joyous Soul. The event will be hosted by the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in partnership with the book’s publisher, the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
Book Launch via Zoom
Sunday, January 10
10 am Pacific USA
1 pm Eastern USA
8 pm Israel
There will be an open zoom reception to follow.
Speakers:
Book purchases:
Order your copy of This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer at http://precious.ccarpress.org and use the promo code Precious20 at checkout for 20% off. Valid through January 18, 2020. Individuals in Jerusalem can order a signed copy by emailing Alden directly at alden@tobendlight.com.
About the Book
This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer
By Alden Solovy
Foreword by Rabbi Leon Morris
Published by CCAR Press, the publishing division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Website: http://Precious.CCARPress.org
In This Precious Life, liturgist Alden Solovy presents prayers, poetry, and meditations inspired by encounters with God. The first part draws from divine moments in our sacred texts, mostly the Torah but also the Prophets and the Writings. Using a contemporary voice, Solovy imagines these holy moments as experienced by our biblical ancestors so we can reclaim them as our own. The second part focuses on sacred moments in our daily lives, connections with the Divine that occur simply because we are human beings created in God’s image. Equally suited to individual reflection and group prayer, the book completes a trilogy with This Grateful Heart and This Joyous Soul.
Rabbi Leon Morris writes in the foreword: “In his trilogy, Alden Solovy provides the twenty-first-century seeker with new ways to speak about (and to) God that reflect our own reality… In This Precious Life, Alden Solovy once again offers us his unique voice and does so in a way that calls us to find our own and to offer it—and our very lives—as a gift and as a prayer.”
What Others Are Saying about This Precious Life
“For many years, I’ve watched Alden Solovy develop his craft of writing liturgical poetry and helping others find their voice and express the prayers of their hearts. Alden’s poetry is so powerful because it comes from deep within his soul and speaks directly to ours. He brings a deep love and respect for Torah, traditional liturgy, and the land and people of Israel, which he combines with honesty about the human condition based on his personal experiences. His poetry brings us closer to Jewish tradition and more in tune with our own souls.” – Rabbi Andrea London, Senior Rabbi, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
“Alden Solovy is a modern-day paytan, a liturgical poet who takes up the psalmist’s call to “sing unto the Eternal a new song.” Just like the classical paytanim, he uses ancient Jewish concepts and traditional phrases but reconstructs them in completely new and innovative ways. His work combines midrashic originality with poetic beauty. Alden’s poems are imbued with profound insights that will surely touch contemporary readers.” – Rabbi Dalia Marx, PhD, Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
“This Precious Life is perhaps Alden Solovy’s most evocative poetry collection to date. With honest and stirring insight, Solovy captures the breadth of emotion–the yearning and loneliness as well the joy and gratitude–of the unceasing spiritual quest, enabling us to see ourselves and hear our voices calling out for God in both the ancient narratives of our tradition and the experiences of our daily lives.” – Rabbi Ron Segal, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis
“In his introduction, Alden Solovy informs the reader that we ‘will experience the Divine in the poetry of living.’ Yet what we discover is that we can live his poetry as it gives meaning to our lives. The collection is really a trajectory, composed with his soulful words, to launch our souls to soar even as we delve into the depths of our inner lives. Alden unlocks a pathway into sacred being, thinking, and living. You may start by assuming you are simply reading this book, but image by image, thought by thought, interpretation by interpretation, it will transport and transform you to discover the beauty of life as a precious, sacred gift.” – Rabbi Elaine Zecher, Senior Rabbi, Temple Israel of Boston