There is great wisdom in Jewish morning rituals. It seems to me that our ancestors,
too, struggled with waking up, getting going, and maintaining motivation. Our sages
remind us that opportunities to start blessing life happen within the first ten minutes
of opening our eyes in the morning (OK, for some of us it takes a half hour—but
still…).
Modeh Ani — Thank You, God, for returning my soul to me. We can consider this in a
literal context, meaning: “I’m so glad I’m alive for yet another day.” And we can
consider it in a spiritual context, meaning: “May I find fulfillment in my own life, and
may I contribute to the fulfillment of another.”
Asher Yatzar — (following a successful visit to the loo…) Thank You, God, for the
physical system of my body—created by You in a flash (and also developed over
millennia)—that makes it possible for the tubes and flaps that form much of my body’s
architecture to flow and open and close (or close and open, or stay closed, or stay
open, as the case may be).
Elohai Neshamah — Thank You, God, for the reminder that each day I am reborn with
a pure soul. Not that whatever shenanigans I pulled yesterday (or the hurt I caused,
the mistrust I sowed, or the ruptures I created) have disappeared, but that I don’t
have to be that same person today. I can become, today, a neshamah of tikkun (a soul
of repair), circling back to fix what I broke.
See! In just the first minutes of the day, Jewish prayer calls us to rise up, dig in, and
move forward. So—see you tonight at Shabbat!
