A Prayer of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav (1772-1810):

Grant me the ability to be alone;
may it be my custom to go outdoors each day
among the trees and grass - among all growing things
and there may I be alone, and enter into prayer,
to talk with the One to whom I belong.
May I express there everything in my heart,
and may all the foliage of the field -
all grasses, trees, and plants -
awake at my coming,
to send the powers of their life into the words of my prayer
so that my prayer and speech are made whole
through the life and spirit of all growing things,
which are made as one by their transcendent Source.
May I then pour out the words of my heart
before your Presence like water, O God,
and lift up my hands to You in worship,
on my behalf, and that of my children!

The weather is (finally) warmer and I have been gratefully spending time outside. Being outside is a source of tremendous spiritual strength for me, and has been for many Jews. From Moses standing before the burning bush, to Rabbi Nachman praying outdoors, to countless Jewish kids worshipping at Jewish summer camps in outdoor sanctuaries, we know that being outside can often bring us closer to God, to our truest selves, and to one another.

So please allow yourself to listen to the natural world, to feel the warmth of the sun on your face or blades of grass beneath your feet, to smell the fragrances of flowering plants and trees, and recognize their beauty. Do so with the ones you love, and do so alone. When you do, perhaps, the "spirit of all growing things" will make not just your prayer, but you as a person, feel more whole.

Rabbi Silverman