Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman

Aleinu  a translation

It is upon me to respond to the miracle of my own life.
It is my responsibility to grow in love and compassion.
It is my honor to seek out my own truest expression,
For no one else has ever been or ever will be the manifestation of life-force that I am.
I bow in humility before this God, in recognition of this sacred task.
I rise and straighten as a sign of my willingness to keep working at it.
Loved ones depend on me, and I depend on them.
I am part of a bigger project, and no matter what shame of pain I feel,
I affirm my resolve to show to life, for the sake of all who love me.
There is on the One, and I am part of that One.
I am inherently worthy of love, of care, of health and wellbeing
Just by virtue of being alive.
I do my best to help others recognize their worthiness
And to fix the broken systems that get in the way
Of all of us seeking wholehearted lives.
I hold my vision of a more compassionate world
And affirm that I am in service to this service. 

 

Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman teaches at JCDS, Boston's Jewish Community Day School, and is Rabbi-in-Residence at Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott, MA. She is a graduate of Oberlin College and Hebrew College Rabbinical School, and is also a medical clown, singer-songwriter, and climate activist.She can be reached at shoshana.m.friedman@gmail.com