Back in April, I was planning a live recording to share the Jewish prayer music I have been writing over the last few years. The pandemic interfered with that plan. I have shifted toward recording a mini-album remotely, and I am so excited to share the first track from this project. I cannot thank the 60 musicians and singers who contributed to this track enough. I know that many of us are longing to create music in the same room again, and I hope that this offering can help sustain us until it is safer to do so.

As I was considering what prayer to record first, Esa Einai was a clear choice. From Psalm 121, this text asks where our support will come from in difficult moments. We lift our eyes to the mountains in search of answers. I felt this cry for answers and guidance spoke to our moment of trying to navigate the disruption and grief caused by the pandemic. Over the last month we have seen that the pandemic is not the only crisis this nation faces, as we grapple with the racist violence that continues to plague America. I will be donating all the proceeds from this track toward the Broadway Advocacy Coalition, a group co-founded by this track’s lead singer, Britton Smith. They use the arts as a tool for social change, helping to elevate the narratives of those affected by mass incarceration and education inequity.

Since I have been in rabbinical school, I have gravitated toward writing Jewish prayer music and setting Hebrew texts. However, I view this music as being universal, and I am so grateful to Britton Smith for bringing this one to life. I have had the honor of arranging his music for several years now, and it is a blessing to have his voice here. Through his band, Britton and the Sting (look them up!), he is creating his own church and ministry, one that closely aligns with the work I hope to do as a future Rabbi. Grateful to be on this journey together.

I dedicate this track to my maternal grandparents, my Bubbe and Zeyde, Audrey and Arthur Liberstein (z'’l). They both passed away when I was a teenager, but I find myself thinking of them a lot lately. They helped instill a love of Judaism in me, and I remember them calling each Friday to say "Shabbat Shalom.” We would use our Hebrew names in this ritual, their’s were Avraham and Ariel. Both start with the letter Aleph, so the two enlarged letters in this beautiful print by Stephanie Breitsman are in tribute to them.

I am filled with gratitude for all those who brought their voice to this piece, and those who have supported this project. I especially thank Fernanda Douglas for helping guide the singers, and Tim Peierls for tirelessly working toward making everyone sound like they are in one room.