Waxing Poetic

It is easy to wax poetic

of the sun kissing the streets of Jerusalem,

her rays glimmering

even when she slips out of sight

It is easy to wax poetic

of Shabbat kissing the streets of Jerusalem,

as the wailing of the Western Wall begins to sing,

as the wafting aromas of challah begin to rise

As the days of the week

melt away,

the great poet

Chaim Nachman Bialik

waxed poetically:

The sun on the treetops no longer is seen.

Come gather to welcome the Sabbath Our Queen.

Behold her descending, the holy the blessed,

And with her the angels of peace and of rest.

It is easy to wax poetic

of the quiet of Shabbat

of the beauty of our homeland -

but 

for the peace of our Jerusalem

that oft flickers somewhere between

a luminous light and puddles of melted wax

may our prayers for peace

may our hope

may our work and

our fight

for peace in Israel -

inspire

ignite

and endure

potently beyond the pages

of a short Shabbat poem...

M'kor ha-Shemesh

Mi mizrach shemesh ad m’vo’o -

from the rising of the sun until its setting,

we thank you

O Source of our sun,

for your rays,

your people aglow in their basking bronze.

Mi mizrach shemesh ad m’vo’o -

from the rising of the sun until its setting,

we thank you

O Source of our sun,

for your warmth,

our fields and our hearts

abundantly nourished by your cycle of living.

Mi mizrach shemesh ad m’vo’o -

from the rising of the sun until its setting,

O Source of our sun,

shine down on the land of Israel,

and imbue her with a resilience to withstand

parched droughts and scorched relationships...

Or Chadash Al Tziyon Ta’ir,

as new light shines upon Zion -

M’kor ha-Shemesh,

O Source of our brilliant sun,

melt away strife

cultivate joy,

fill us with life,

and

may we merit

your radiant peace.

M'kor ha-Geshem

M’kor ha-Geshem,

O Source of rain,

we thank you for your nourishing waters.

M’kor ha-Geshem,

O Source of rain,

we thank you for your droplets

abundantly full

of life.

M’kor ha-Geshem,

pour out your blessings on the land of Israel,

water her with a resilience to withstand

rapid floods and parched droughts.

M’kor ha-Geshem,

O Source of these rains,

nourish us,

fill us with life,

and

douse

your people Israel

with overflowing peace.

Shelter-in-Peace

Shelter-in-place, you told us...

be vigilant

be calm

Shelter-in-place, you told us...

be careful

be caring

Shelter-in-place, you told us...

rest assured

rest with ease

Whether in Israel or Boston,

we praise You

O source of sheltered places,

and we thank You

O source of people who shelter us

for the sense of safety you allow us to feel inside our homes,

for the sense of safety you allow us to feel inside our shul,

and 

for the sense of safety you allow us once more to feel in our city...

Shelter-in-place, you told us,

but perhaps, O source of shelter,

You have enough experience with this

to know

what You really meant to say, 

what You really meant to pray for us

was

shelter-in-peace.

M’kor Sefirah

We count the omer

every night
this is one

this is two

days until we receive Torah...

We count the omer

every night

this is three

this is four

days until we finally get to Sinai...

We count the omer

every night

this is five

this is six

days until revelation...

What will the Torah at Sinai reveal to us this time?

Who will stand with us at the foot of the mountain?

Who will join us as we journey to the Promised Land?

M’kor Sefirah -

O source of counting...

as we count the omer

every night

shelter us,

protect us,

bless your children Israel

with the courage to stand and journey and receive

and grow and build

a land of Israel worthy of your revelation.  

For a daily Omer count - visit Shir Tikva's Facebook page.

M'saderet Tikva

Yesh Tikva -

there is hope

for peace in Israel

Yesh Tikva -

there is hope

that it will come

and soon

Tikva - 

hope

for embracing friends

hope for embracing foes

hope for renewed leadership

hope for renewing promises

M’kor Tikva, O source of hope,

M’saderet Tikva, O

orderer of hope,

help us embrace and renew

all possible paths to peace,

such that around our seder tables

for many years to come

we can recite with confidence

that "Next Year in Jerusalem"

there will be peace!

M’kor Tzarut v'Rochav

We children of Israel
find ourselves perched
on the cusp of freedom.

Hodesh Nissan,
it is the month of Mitzrayim,
of narrow straits...
and the only way to get out
of Egypt
is through.

What’s on the other side, remains the question?
Is it Israel, the land of our hopes and dreams?
Is it Israel, the land of complications and war?
Is it Israel, the home of one people?
Or is it Israel, the home of many?

What if it is Israel,
but what that means is different for you and different for me?
If it doesn’t look like what we hoped and dreamed it would look like,
can we turn back?  

Surely we cannot turn back,
surely we cannot turn our backs
even if it's not where we thought we were going.

For
we are the children of Israel -
and we find ourselves perched
on the cusp of freedom.  

And in this month of Mitzrayim,
we will work together to widen those narrow straits.

M’kor Tzarut v’Rochav,
O source of narrowness and width,
guard our land,
guard her people,
guard all her inhabitants,
and protect us as we build together our most Promised of Lands.

Shabbat Bish'vat

Shabbat Bish’vat
on this Shabbat in the month of Sh’vat
we praise you, 
God of Israel,
for the cycles of our days,
the cycles of our weeks
that bring us always to that fresh and quiet day of rest.

Shabbat Bish’vat
on this Shabbat in the month of Sh’vat
we praise you,
God of Israel,
for the fullness of our week,
for the quiet when we needed quiet, 
for the joy when we needed joy,
and for calm amid the storm,
or the joyful winds when things were a bit too calm.

On this Shabbat in the month of Sh’vat,
we praise you,
we celebrate you,
O God of Israel,
for the cycles of our days,
for the cycles of our weeks,
and the fullness of each.

And we pray,
in this month of Sh’vat,
that that there always be moments of Shabbat...
that we, that Israel, that all the world
might find stillness, wholeness, and peace.

Rosh Chodesh Shevat

Rosh Chodesh Shevat -
on this first day of the month of Shevat,
we praise you,
God of Israel,
for the cycles of the year ,
for the cycles of the moon
that bring us monthly back to a fresh beginning.

Rosh Chodesh Shevat -
on this first day of the month of Shevat,
we praise you,
God of Israel,
for the cycles of our earth,
for the rains when it is time for rain,
for the dew when it is time for dew,
and for the rain and snow especially when it is not time,
but when we need it most.  

Rosh Chodesh Shevat -
on this first day of the month of Shevat,
we praise you
God of Israel,
for the cycles of our vegetation,
for the greens when it is time for green,
for the reds and yellows when it is time for red and yellow,
for the birth and renewal of tiny seedlings into towering trees...

On this first day of the month of Shevat,
we praise you,
we celebrate you,
O God of Israel,
for the cycles of the year and of the moon,
for the cycles of the earth and of vegetation...
And we pray,
in this month of Shevat,
that Shevet Achim Gam Yachad,
we might all sit together peacefully
in the shade of your most grand creations.