The Quality of Life

Life is sanctioned by G-d,

for the sake of mankind:

to create harmony amongst us,

and the rest of His creation.

Life is disrupted by the neglect

of attention to the myriad details of its complexity,

lack of respect to the values of others,

and disavowal of responsibility to the voiceless.

Life does not repeat itself

by way of reincarnation,

nor can it be preserved by downloading

your essence onto a mainframe computer

or uploading your memories

into the artificial brain of an android.

Life only gives us one chance

to make the most of every day,

as we journey along the path to fruition

of all of our efforts, both material and spiritual,

culminating in an eternal reward.

Life regards kindness, compassion,

and helping others as assets

in our spiritual bank account;

and meanness, hatred,

and harming others as deficits

that will accumulate against us.

Life holds all things in balance,

as the Creator looks on with keen awareness

of the plight of mankind,

inclusive of every individual

on the face of the planet.

dVerse prompt

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Perfect Day

The conception of the world began in a moment, sparking the beginning of time, galvanizing matter, bringing order out of chaos, as the universe expanded. Then the original light of the world was spoken into existence by the Creator, Who also separated between light and darkness. Let us understand, that this light appeared before the sun, moon and stars, the luminaries of the sky. For, those were not created in the sequential order of things until the fourth day. The light, called into being on Day One, is described in the original Hebrew of the Bible as ohr.

The past will fold back into itself like dust, returning to the earth, as the light draws us toward that perfect day, when all of creation is renewed. Then ohr chadash, the original light of creation, that has been hidden away until this day, will resurface for the righteous to enjoy, as crowns are placed upon their heads. And, the night will no longer consume the sun, nor will death cast its shadow anymore over mankind. All will live in harmony with G-d, mankind, and creation. Even the natural world will be at peace with itself when the lion lies down with the lamb.

Darkness into light,

cast bright upon the land,

will vanquish death.

Footsteps

At birth,

there was no map,

set aside for safekeeping,

to be gifted to me later,

upon reaching the age of reason.

Still, I am mysteriously guided

by my soul; and, the One

who breathed life into me,

watches my path,

and keeps me.

dVerse

Slumbering Eyes

Wake up to the truth,
grant awareness to thyself.
The will of the Maker is done
each and every morning
under the sun.

Without the wisdom from Above,
our eyesight will dim over the years,
and eyes squint in the morning light;
yet, in anticipation of the renewal of the earth we wait,
renewed not by the hands of man –
rather, from Heaven’s glance.

Let me see the continuity
of Your blessings bestowed upon the land,
as the rejuvenation of the planet occurs,
guided by Your divine will,
the waters glistening on the surface,
the trees nourished by rich soil
that springs up in the deserts
when all of creation is healed.

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.

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.

2.

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?

3.

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.

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dVerse prompt

Springtime Reconciliation

Summer fades into the autumn greys,

and soon winter will arrive with the decay

of the leaves on trees, and blooming things.

The prairie dogs retreat into their dens,

to hibernate until the beginning of Spring.

We watch with anxious anticipation

for the redemption of the creation,

marked by the month of Aviv,

when all mankind is made free.

Without anywhere to hide,

our sins are brought to light,

and like a prairie dog standing,

by his hole, in imitation of prayer,

we are called to ward off the doldrums

of our mind, and reconcile ourselves

to the Creator of all things peaceable

within His Kingdom.

dVerse prompt

Chorus of Praise

A musical enterprise,

spanning out across the cosmos,

the ethereal songs of the stars,

unwavering in their praise

of the Creator.

We mimic their tribute

to the Almighty,

serving to uplift souls on earth,

who aspire to draw close

to the One True G-d.

dVerse prompt

(And sometimes we’re left speechless, with only the silent prayers of the heart).

The Light Will Prevail

This year’s a different thing, – I’ll not think of you.*

Even though, I see the future in light of the past. And, although, that light is dim, a brighter one awaits upon the distant horizon. For, when the darkness seems to pervade the very bones, and drenches the psyche with its wear and tear upon hope, the promise of a new dawn becomes even more than a promise – for the track record of the prophets guarantees the fulfillment.

In December 2019, there had been a foreboding in my soul, when the lights of the menorah were dimmed on Chanukah, by the news of another intrusion of darkness, meant to quench the light that has spanned generations; yet, will continue to prevail, until the final triumphant day. Redemption is at hand in every moment of our lives. This eternal insight is what sustains me.

*Charlotte Mew, “I so liked Spring”

dVerse prompt