RETURN TO PRESENCE
Prayers from the Divine Within
Shabbat invites us to pause.
Return to Presence is a feminist Shabbat prayerbook offering fully feminized Hebrew liturgy alongside transliteration and poetic English for Friday evening, Shabbat morning, and Havdalah.
The Divine is addressed here as Shekhinah-the indwelling Presence-spoken in feminine grammatical voice throughout. These prayers follow the familiar arc of Shabbat: welcoming light, affirming oneness, teaching love across generations, blessing bread and wine, standing in ancestral memory, and gently marking the passage back into the week.
This is not a replacement for traditional liturgy.
It is a companion-designed to be used alongside a siddur, at the Shabbat table, in small gatherings, or in private reflection.
Jewish prayer has always evolved through poetry, interpretation, and lived practice.
This book participates in that living tradition.
Laurie S. Sherman