Making Every Day Sacred: A Jewish Prayer for New Beginnings
Aug 25, 2025When I wake up in the morning lately, besides saying Modeh Ani (a prayer of thanks for my soul), I also say the prayer of Shehecheyanu:
讘指旨专讜旨讱职 讗址转指旨讛, 讬职讬指 讗直诇止讛值讬谞讜旨, 诪侄诇侄讱职 讛指注讜止诇指诐, 砖侄讈讛侄讞直讬指谞讜旨 讜职拽执讬职旨诪指谞讜旨 讜职讛执讙执旨讬注指谞讜旨 诇址讝职旨诪址谉 讛址讝侄旨讛.
Blessed are You, God, Sovereign of all, who has kept me alive, sustained me, and brought me to this season.
The Shehecheyanu prayer is reserved for times of newness in the Jewish tradition. Special occasions like holidays, weddings, and "holy days."
I'm on a journey to reclaim and, most of all, create reverence. Sometimes that means swinging the pendulum. I desire to create moments of holiness in every moment of every day. Through this prayer, I create a possibility of something new, and to be sustained in something new. So I say this prayer every day.
I remind myself that every moment of every day, filled with presence and intention, can be a "high holy holiday." I not only remind myself that I can elevate the mundane with intention, but most of all, with intention, I remind myself that the mundane is already elevated.
Everything is sacred when I take time to notice.
And every day, as you make yourself new, with Hashem's help, notice what happens when you add a prayer of recognition, of thanks, of noticing God's hand in all of it, and your hand... in God's.
