In This Precious Life, liturgist Alden Solovy presents prayers, poetry, and meditations inspired by
encounters with God. The first part draws from divine moments in our sacred texts, mostly the
Torah but also the Prophets and the Writings. Using a contemporary voice, Solovy imagines these
holy moments as experienced by our biblical ancestors so we can reclaim them as our own. The
second part focuses on sacred moments in our daily lives, connections with the Divine that occur
simply because we are human beings created in God's image. Equally suited to individual reflection
and group prayer, the book completes a trilogy with This Grateful Heart and This Joyous Soul.
Central Conference of American Rabbis: Leadership and resources for rabbis and the Jewish community; home of CCAR Press. We welcome friends and supporters.
Looking for a Chanukah gift? The CCAR Press book bundle by poet and liturgist @AldenSolovy makes the perfect present. The bundle features all three of Alden’s CCAR Press books: “This Grateful Heart,” “This Joyous Soul,” and “This Precious Life.” Order at https://t.co/htO7Fnan75 https://t.co/vdGTooi2no
For many years, I've watched Alden Solovy develop his craft of writing liturgical poetry and
helping others find their voice and express the prayers of their hearts. Alden's poetry is so
powerful because it comes from deep within his soul and speaks directly to ours. He brings a
deep love and respect for Torah, traditional liturgy, and the land and people of Israel, which he
combines with honesty about the human condition based on his personal experiences.
His poetry brings us closer to Jewish tradition and more in tune with our own souls.
-Rabbi Andrea London, Senior Rabbi, Beth Emet The Free Synagogue
Alden Solovy is a modern-day paytan, a liturgical poet who takes up the psalmist's call to
"sing unto the Eternal a new song." Just like the classical paytanim, he uses ancient Jewish
concepts and traditional phrases but reconstructs them in completely new and innovative ways.
His work combines midrashic originality with poetic beauty. Alden's poems are imbued with
profound insights that will surely touch contemporary readers.
-Rabbi Dalia Marx, PhD, Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Liturgy and Midrash,
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
This Precious Life is perhaps Alden Solovy's most evocative poetry collection to date.
With honest and stirring insight, Solovy captures the breadth of emotion-the yearning and
loneliness as well the joy and gratitude-of the unceasing spiritual quest, enabling us to see
ourselves and hear our voices calling out for God in both the ancient narratives of our tradition
and the experiences of our daily lives.
-Rabbi Ron Segal, President, Central Conference of American Rabbis