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The Days Between: Blessings, Poems, and Directions of the Heart for the Jewish High Holiday Season
The Jewish High Holidays--the ten days beginning with the New Year Festival of Rosh Hashanah and culminating with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement--constitute the most sacred period of the Jewish year. During this season, religious as well as nonaffiliated Jews attend synagogue services in unparalleled numbers. Yet much of what they find there can be unwelcoming in its patriarchal imagery, leaving many worshipers unsatisfied.
For those seeking to connect more deeply with their Judaism, and for all readers in search of a contemplative approach to the themes of the fall season, poet and scholar Marcia Falk re-creates the holidays' key prayers and rituals from an inclusive perspective. Among the offerings in The Days Between are Hebrew and English blessings for festive meals, prayers for synagogue services, and poems and meditations for quiet reflection. Emphasizing introspection as well as relationship to others, Falk evokes her vision of the High Holidays as "ten days of striving to keep the heart open to change."
Accessible and welcoming to modern readers, The Days Between is steeped in traditional sources and grounded in liturgical and biblical scholarship. It will serve as a meaningful alternative or supplement to the traditional liturgy for individuals, families, synagogues, and communities small and large--that is, for all who seek fresh meaning in the High Holidays.
For those seeking to connect more deeply with their Judaism, and for all readers in search of a contemplative approach to the themes of the fall season, poet and scholar Marcia Falk re-creates the holidays' key prayers and rituals from an inclusive perspective. Among the offerings in The Days Between are Hebrew and English blessings for festive meals, prayers for synagogue services, and poems and meditations for quiet reflection. Emphasizing introspection as well as relationship to others, Falk evokes her vision of the High Holidays as "ten days of striving to keep the heart open to change."
Accessible and welcoming to modern readers, The Days Between is steeped in traditional sources and grounded in liturgical and biblical scholarship. It will serve as a meaningful alternative or supplement to the traditional liturgy for individuals, families, synagogues, and communities small and large--that is, for all who seek fresh meaning in the High Holidays.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Marcia Falk
19 books32 followersMarcia Falk was born in New York City and grew up in a traditional Jewish home on Long Island, where she was immersed in Jewish learning and Hebrew language from an early age. As a teenager, Marcia fled the suburbs for Manhattan, to take classes at the Art Students League and the Jewish Theological Seminary.
She graduated Brandeis University, magna cum laude, in Philosophy, and went on to Stanford, where she earned a doctorate in English and Comparative Literature, translating the biblical Song of Songs into English poetry for her dissertation. Along the way, she studied Hebrew language and literature as a Fulbright scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to which she returned, five years later, as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Marcia was a professor of literature, Jewish studies, and creative writing for many years at the State University of New York at Binghamton and the Claremont Colleges. Today she is a popular public speaker, giving readings, talks, and workshops on subjects ranging from Jewish women’s voices to the love poetry of the Bible. She has published several books of poetry and translations Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as a groundbreaking re-creation of Jewish liturgy, The Book of Blessings, which has garnered international attention. The Days Between is that book’s long-awaited sequel.
In the past two decades, Marcia has returned to her first love, painting. Among her recent projects is a series of mizrachs—wall hangings that bring together visual images with blessings and poems.
Marcia lives in Berkeley with her spouse, the poet Steve Rood. They are the parents of a twenty-five year-old, Abraham Gilead Falk-Rood (aka Abby).
She graduated Brandeis University, magna cum laude, in Philosophy, and went on to Stanford, where she earned a doctorate in English and Comparative Literature, translating the biblical Song of Songs into English poetry for her dissertation. Along the way, she studied Hebrew language and literature as a Fulbright scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to which she returned, five years later, as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Marcia was a professor of literature, Jewish studies, and creative writing for many years at the State University of New York at Binghamton and the Claremont Colleges. Today she is a popular public speaker, giving readings, talks, and workshops on subjects ranging from Jewish women’s voices to the love poetry of the Bible. She has published several books of poetry and translations Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as a groundbreaking re-creation of Jewish liturgy, The Book of Blessings, which has garnered international attention. The Days Between is that book’s long-awaited sequel.
In the past two decades, Marcia has returned to her first love, painting. Among her recent projects is a series of mizrachs—wall hangings that bring together visual images with blessings and poems.
Marcia lives in Berkeley with her spouse, the poet Steve Rood. They are the parents of a twenty-five year-old, Abraham Gilead Falk-Rood (aka Abby).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 13, 2016
This book is beautiful and organized perfectly, and I found fulfillment while reading it during these High Holy Days. However, I wanted more meat, more essays, and I didn't appreciate the repetition of the poems in the "Here's a Service For You to Follow" section - it felt like the author/publisher was bulking up the book without providing more substance.
September 28, 2014
LOVED! Every year I pick a book to read between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This book sparkles with Marcia Falk's poetry and translations and has enriched my own celebration. No issues with gendered language. A delight for the ears, the senses and the mind.
September 20, 2014
Beautiful poems and reflections that invite introspection and meditation during the High Holy Days. Accessible and holding both to tradition and creativity.
November 12, 2014
A lovely book to read all year 'round but especially at the High Holidays. I plan on giving copies as gifts.
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March 6, 2015Review by Laurel Corona for the Jewish Book Council.
September 12, 2014
Read my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews