Archive for the ‘Poem’ Category

Weekly Pause on the Holy Mountain

May 30th, 2020 by Rav Shoshana

Shavua Shabbat Aliyah

Each week we stand at the footsteps of the mountain
and we prepare to climb…
unloading the heavy burdens that weigh us down…
the knapsack of worries,
      the heavy coat of concerns,
            the lifetime of stories we carry…

As we make our way, discarding the veil—
we create spaciousness for the deepest desires of our hearts to be answered;
we create silence in which the still small voice of the One can be heard
we create a consciousness in which the breathe of all life comes through us….

we yearn to receive that which is ours to receive
so that we may bestow that which is ours to give.

We ask that our eyes are made bright to see Your wisdom, Your grace, Your love,
that our eyes may reveal the holy Presence that is always in our midst.

2 candles guide our way up the mountain
the grape vines add sweetness to the journey
and manna from heaven provides for our needs.

This is the place in which the beginning of all life unfolded
this is where creation manifests the glory and honor of the One
this is where we receive the nectar that will nourish us….

The light and truth of the One dwells here
This sacred dwelling place nurtures the Oneness that dwells within
Each week our Shabbat aliyah brings us to this Holy mountain
and we dwell here to absorb the mystical, magical energy that will fuel us as we return down the mountain.

As we take leave, the sight of the grape vine on the hillside reminds us we will meet these vines again next week as we make the climb. PAUSE

The sadness of separation is held by the sweet smelling aroma that fills our bodies

and the interwoven light of separation reminds us we are connected by the One breathe –
the inter-connected web that can never be divided.

May the revelation, creation, light and truth atop the holy mountain be planted inside us…
may we bring these gifts to all the places we touch, and transform them into sacred dwelling places of the everyday, imbued with the holiness of this revelation.

Inspired by Rabbi Yael Levy’s teachings on the Omer
and by Psalm 43:3-4
Y’vi’uni al har kodesha v’al mishkenotecha
Light and Truth, Your light and Your truth
will bring me to Your Holy mountain
and to Your dwelling places…

Sheltering in Peace

April 24th, 2020 by Rav Shoshana

(Living in Pandemic Times)

Shabbat Shalom… Shalom… shelemut…
wholeness, peace encompassing all, including all
the light, the dark, the ups, the downs.
gratitude and fear, faith and doubt, hope and despair
making space to hold it all.

The eternal ebb and flow of life has always been and will always be
the intricate dance between dark and light.
one’s existence dependent upon the other.

Yet at the foundation beneath our feet and
in the cosmos above our heads
there has always been and will always be
the eternal light of the One.

Our journey is marked each week, month and
at holy moments along the way
with the light of creation, memory, celebration, and hope.

Each week we leave behind the life we think is the only reality
and we enter into God’s garden of delight, wonder, gratitude and
connection…

We take a deep breath, as we pause, stop and rest
in the arms of Shechinah
as she lights our way with the soul lights of Shabbas…

Centuries-old history lives in these lights
embedded prayers for healing and blessing
and the glow of loving facings reflects the yearning
to connect to the Ner Tamid, the eternal life force
that lives in the Holy Candle of God.

May the gift of our weekly Shelter in Peace
awaken the remembrance in each of our souls
of the Eternal flame that lives inside
so that which has always been and will always be
may be transferred l’dor’ l’dor for generations to come.
Shabbat Shalom…

The Other Dressing Room

April 5th, 2020 by Rav Shoshana

Fear and anxiety grip my body
like shirts and pants 2 sizes too small.

I am shrink-wrapped under the weight of it all…

Where is my breath?

and then some part deep inside remembers…

There is another dressing room…
where the clothes aren’t as tight…
and the breath is easier
no words, no news, no panic

It is the panic room,
but I go here to undress the panic… to leave it behind…

Here, hangers line the clothesline with choices…

Brown clothes like the earth to ground my being
Blue clothes like the sky to remind me of the wide expanse
White clothes that speak of a time when the Breath of All Life created me
Yellow/Orange/Red clothes like the flame inside my heart
that yearns for Universal Love and Connection.

These are the clothes I choose to put on today…

These are the clothes that will radiate eternal truth throughout all time

These are the clothes that will serve me and others best…

May I remember this other dressing room and my choices at any given moment.

And may I adorn myself with the jewelry of faith, hope and
the beauty, creativity, and resiliency of the human spirit.