Two female rabbis launch new guided prayer podcast

Two female rabbis based in the US have launched a guided prayer podcast to “fill a gap in the market” and offer an alternation “avenue for spiritual nourishment” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rabba Dina Brawer and Rabbanit Leah Sarna released PrayerFull, prompting hundreds of downloads in the first week. Each episode focuses on a theme such as renewal and gratitude, and includes song, kavanot, and prayers.

“Experiencing meaningful prayer can be challenging at the best of times,” they said. “The pandemic has limited the avenues for meaningful prayer precisely at the moment when our need for spiritual nourishment and anchoring has deepened.”

PrayerFull is designed both as experiential prayer or as ‘hakhanah l’tefillah’ (preparation ahead of traditional prayer) and the pair say it “bridges the gap left by the current restrictions on synagogue services and communal singing”.

They added that while synagogues are divided by denominations, the podcast would “offer a variety of perspectives and intra-denominational voices”.

Brawer founded of the UK branch of Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) and in 2018 became the country’s first Orthodox female rabbi after she received semichah (rabbinic ordination) following four years of intensive study. She has since moved back to the United States.

You can download the podcast here: Prayerfull.simplecast.com.

It is also available on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/prayerfull/id1544949451