It has been a long, brave, beautiful journey to reach this moment. Zeh HaYom—This is the Day.

This album is an invitation to sing out, to grow still, to dance with the Divine and to discover new meanings in ancient words, coming alive in our breath, our bodies and our resilient, ever-opening hearts.

These melodies rose from the sway of my body and the motion of my feet striding rhythm that beats my heart into new song. They carried me, with a prayerful ear, attuning to the ache and beauty inhabiting my life and the world around me. And these melodies unfolded as prayersong, rising out of these encounters with yearning, vibrant joy and love. Over the past twenty years, these melodies have moved through me and into singing, praying communities around the world.

I am profoundly grateful to all of you who have sung with me over the years, and to all of you yet to sing.

I am flooded with gratitude for the mighty and loving hosts who have helped bring this project to joyous fruition. My profound thanks to: Joey Weisenberg and the Rising Song Institute for your clear gevurah and consistent encouragement, and for sharing your creative gifts so graciously; Rabbi Elie Kaunfer and Hadar in New York, for your persistence, vision and unflagging belief in me and in the music; the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni Collaboration Grant for your generous support; Aviva Chernick, for your superb leadership, guidance and deep partnership in courageous, creative, holy work; Fides Krucker, my skillful teacher of vocal technique, authentic sound and women's expressive power; Rabbi Sheila Weinberg and Rabbi Jonathan Kligler for your sacred mentorship and wise, loving guidance; Sarah Margles and Hartley Wynberg, Ohaliav and Zusha, Reid Robins, Julian Scarfe, Evelyn Tauben, Shira Stutman, Malka Greene, Lisa Goldstein and my dear colleagues and teachers at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality for your magnificent support and partnership. I am so grateful to everyone who donated to this album, particularly my incredibly supportive parents, Ruth and Harold Margles; Stephen, Elisha, Josh, Adam and Jeremy Margles; Arnold and Kathy Kaplan; Julie Sissman and Phil Richter, Madelyn Bucksbaum Adamson, Avra Gordis, Betsy Miller Landis, Luciana Pajecki Lederman and Alon Lederman; and the wonderteam of Melissa Weintraub, Sara Narva and Sarah Brodbar-Nemzer for your loving support and reaching out to a whole lot of people to make this happen.

Thank you to the Germantown Jewish Centre for hosting the recording sessions.

Huge thanks to Don Godwin for your masterful engineering and mastering work, to Michael Scott for your beautiful photography and Ilusha Tzinadze for the skillful design and layout of this CD.

Thank you to all of our teachers, friends, supporters and students who have made this work possible, and the soulful singers and musicians who have brought this music into their hearts and into the world.

- MM 2018