Fringes: Kavannah Before the Sh'ma

A tallit is just a piece of cloth

But when you put fringes on the four corners

It becomes a fulfillment of a Jewish mitzvah.

The fringes are just strings

But when you knot them together and attach them to the tallit

They are all of our complicated questions for the Torah and Talmud.

And when you cover yourself with that fringed cloth

And you become separate and holy, kadosh,

It becomes a safe and private place for your spiritual longing as a Jew.

And when you hold those fringes from all four corners in one hand

It becomes your connection to Jews 

  from all four directions:  North, South, East, West,

  from all four worlds:  Assiyah, Yetzirah, Beriah, Atzilut

  from all four elements: Earth, Water, Air, Fire

  from all four states of being:  Physical, Feeling, Intellectual, Spiritual.

And when you cover your eyes with that fringed hand,

And when you are deep in the holy and all four corners become one,

Listen.

This is the One-ness.

This is us.

If you find this offering of my work valuable or pleasurable, please consider supporting me with a mutual offering, if you are able:

If you use one of my prayers or kavannot for a service or event you can make a one time donation via my PayPal account.  

PayPal  https://www.paypal.me/trishaarlin  

If you would like to support my work as a sacred artist in an ongoing fashion, please contribute (any amount) on a monthly basis to my Patreon account.

Patreon    https://www.patreon.com/trishaarlin

Thank you!

Trisha