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...
