Breathing Inspiration

Soon to Be

“And the earth was without form and void…”
Genesis 1:2

What is concealed,

will soon be revealed.

The things that G-d has hidden

in our heart of hearts,

eternity, divinity, and wisdom

will be brought to our awareness

in tandem with an acceptance

of the ancient narratives,

the noble pioneers,

and faithful prophets

of His word.

—– —– —–

The banquet of Heaven

awaits all who are called

to feast upon Leviathan,

the doomed serpent of old,

whose boldness and deception

has plunged the world into darkness,

bringing chaos and turmoil

that taints the soil

of G-d’s creation.

—– —– —–

The nations shall not prevail

over the directive of Shomayim,

nor succeed in turning the moral clock

backwards, unto tohu va’vohu –

formless and void.

Hidden Truth

The weight of the world’s troubles

weighs heavily upon my conscience,

like a burden never meant to be borne,

by any individual, nor humanity as a whole.

Even Atlas would be failing at his task,

by now, trying to hold up the world,

as it grows heavier every day,

while Babylon sinks its roots

into the globe, taking its toll

on all who fall prey to her lies.

—– —– —–

There will be no disguise for the truth,

when it finally makes its way to the surface

of the conscious mind, irrespective

of the darkness that obscured,

the media that blurred,

the politicians that occluded,

the Woke ideologues that omitted,

and the people who excluded

what no one can erase

from the essential order

of the Universe – the Creator.

Somewhere, across the night, a soul wanders past midnight, without a home to call one’s own. Once, at 3 a.m., I had the light on in my apartment. Someone, ran from across the parking lot to my door, immediately going for the doorknob, trying to unlock the door without even knocking. Sure, in retrospect, I have more compassion for him than I did at the time. Yet, the survival instinct kicks in immediately upon threat; so, of course, I did not open the door at that time. This is despite the fact that I have opened my door, so to speak, for near strangers, even several, that I had only met that day, and gave them a place to rest for the night. However, unless one embraces a policy of radical charity, it is necessary to draw a fine line at times.

Then there is the time that I invited a friend of mine over for Passover, a number of years ago. He knocked on my door a little earlier than expected. He told me that he had met someone in the park, who might like to attend the seder. I was hesitant; I decided not to grant the invite to the stranger whom he had met, moreso out of selfish reasons, than anything else. I was looking forward to a night of discussion on the various passages of the Haggadah, wherein my friend and I would each share our own insights. I was unwilling to have any disturbance of that endeavor, even for the sake of hospitality.

Yet, in not granting permission to have another guest at my table, I missed the mark and inadvertently went against the words found in the very Haggadah that we read from that night. “All who are hungry – come and eat. All who are needy – come join the Passover celebration. Whether or not I’ll get another chance to do the right thing in a similar circumstance, I do not know. And, so, my obstinacy that night may continue to echo as silent reminder of my negligence.

Silent memories,

drift unseen across the years;

surfacing at night.

dVerse prompt

Harmony of Opposites

tiferes – harmony, beauty, peace, sanctity

Sometimes life may seem
like a high-wire balancing act,
without a safety net.
We juggle in mid-air,
all of the peoples stares,
we imagine upon us.

When we realize
that no one has perfected
themselves to the extent
wherein harmony reigns,
constantly within and without,
we can accept the nuances
inherent in our existential walk,
across time, from one year to another,
while harmonizing the opposites
of our personalities, with the help
of Providence & Divine Insight.

In consideration of the nearly polar opposites of chesed (loving-kindness) and gevurah (judgment), tiferes (harmony) has the potential to infuse these two “emotional attributes,” into a blend of synergistic harmony that has as its substance, the beauty of moderation, balance, and right amounts of the elements necessary, to bring about reconciliation with all things.

This is why tiferes, seems to me, to be akin to ahavah (love); although, it is traditionally associated with compassion. Incidentally, what is the relationship between love and compassion? Todd Rundgren sang that love without compassion is nil. “Even love has turned bad, [if] it was love without compassion” (Todd Rundgren, Compassion). Is there any truth to be found in his claim?

There is self-love, love of objects (especially our own possessions), love of pleasure, and love of the merely satisfying as opposed to love of virtue. Compassion permits us to love others with a certain degree of selflessness, and has the ability to negate our selfishness, and break down the separateness between ourselves and others. Something for the world to consider…

The Power of Ahavah

Love accepts all things,

thinks, without reacting.

gives without taking,

burdens no one,

lifts up souls,

enlightens minds,

finds a way to fulfill

all the tasks of a lifetime

in their due time.

Window of Vision

A window into time,

is challenging to rhyme,

bringing past, present, and future

together into harmony…

Whenever I reflect upon my heritage,

I am transported back to the shtetl

of my ancestors on my father’s side of the family.

Especially, on Yom HaShoah, the day of remembrance

elicits bittersweet emotions.

On the one hand, at least twenty-eight

members of two families perished.

On the other hand, two other families

immigrated to the goldene medina,

bringing forth several generations

of Yidden, who know their heritage

to a greater or lesser degree,

upon the continuum of faith.

Gazing into the future,

I see the final generation

standing in its tenacity

against the tides of change,

and the storms of fear,

that are upon the horizon.

In expectation of Moshiach,

I wait for his arrival, here –

Ad mosai?

Existing in the present,

I try not to get caught up in the turmoil,

nor thrown off balance by the daily news,

that seems to be narrating prophecy

in real-time sound bytes, some confused,

on the way toward the final countdown

of the Geulah (Redemption).

Take heart, I say to my soul,

in the things that you know

will not fail, nor perish –

everlasting life, waiting

right outside the window,

after the Tehillas HaMeisim,

into another time –

eternity.

dVerse prompt

Always Remember

You tell me it’s the institution… well you know, you’d better free your mind instead.
Revolution, by the Beatles

As the earth revolves,

does the mind evolve?

Do morals matter?

Is the soul in tatters?

Calling for a revolution

will not bring an evolution

of humankind to fruition.

For, if we abandon our past,

nothing that matters will last,

as tyranny holds fast.

dVerse prompt

Tomorrow’s Hope

We are strangers to ourselves,

when our past has been lost,

amongst the tumult of generations,

swayed by assimilation at what cost?

While progress rolls forward,

like a steam roller, it paves the way

toward a brave new world,

flattening the truths of yesterday.

For the digital technocracy to succeed,

it must suppress individual identity,

and borrow nothing from yesteryear,

that would undermine its own supremacy.

Yet, the truth will never become subservient

to the lies of the narrative norm,

for the sake of global convenience,

nor forgotten in the hearts of the reborn.

Our past will redeem us,

our traditions will revive our spirit;

in faith we will reclaim our trust;

our conscience will guide the lyrics.

A new song in our hearts will abide,

a remembrance of our history;

our genuine selves will override

the collective approach to mentality.

Seek nourishment of the soul,

that will not permit the new normal

to take its final insidious toll

upon our belief in what is moral.

Silent Voices

Judge not lest you be judged in turn,
Appearances cloud our view,
We guess at the truth, but only learn
G-d alone knows what is true.
Edith Stein, from Aphorisms in the Month of June 1940

We see this world in a topsy turvy way,

where right is wrong, and left has gone astray.

Foundations once safe and sound,

have fallen upon the ground.

How long can we watch, and remain quiet,

while evil is reframed as good,

and the righteous are silenced?

—– —– —–

One fine day we will sing,

when all of G-d’s mercies will bring

a lasting peace upon this world,

as Messiah’s flag is unfurled.

Until then, we sit and wait,

hope and pray beyond fate,

that when the bright morning will dawn,

the light will accompany G-d’s Kingdom.

Manifest Presence

“Who hath ascended up into heaven, and descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in his garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?” – Proverbs 30:4, JPS 1917 Tanach

Rising above, falling below

the waves of emotions, tossing to and fro.

If I ascend to the heights,

my spirit will be greeted by Your grace;

and if I descend into the abyss,

there, You may be found in the darkness.

Before I came into existence,

You knew the depths of my soul;

so, I will take comfort,

even when the storms assail,

and the waters rise, threatening to engulf me.

For You have reckoned the four corners of the world,

in a single glance, taking all into account;

and, graced me with Your presence,

through the manifestation of Your son.