Archive for November 2020
The Eternal Jew
Down the boulevard of history he walks The Eternal Jew Stepping upon the The pavement of potential Frozen between Ayin and Yeish A blank book Awaiting a story to settle In the comfort of its pages like a young family in an old empty house bringing joy and life to its cold, silent walls Down…
Read MoreR’ Shimon! The Heiliger Reb Shimon!
Dancing around the fire, heart aflame, my soul has wings I leap and twist, The very earth rises along with me to greater heights. The heavens are open angels peer through the crack Jostling for a better view Vying for a chance to catch a glimpse of this circle of broken souls, Made whole by…
Read MoreAYEKA?
The Voice booms once more From without Urgent, shrill, Thin Within Too terrifying to hear Too beautiful to shut away “AYEKA?” “Where are you?” Where am I? I don’t know. Lost! Lost among the broken shards of my shattered dreams Spinning still, forever In the endless space of my memory I wander among them, Embracing…
Read MoreThe Real Reality
It was inevitable, really Only a matter of time before those words Peeked gingerly from behind someone’s wry smile and Jumped eagerly out At my indignant ears. Yup, there they were Hanging Stinging “Welcome back to reality.” Welcome back to reality. As if the past four years spent studying Torah In the Land of our…
Read MoreA Question of Vessels
Yesterday, on the way to my weekly class in Yeshivat Mevaseret Tzion, I had the radio tuned to a Jewish music station. They were playing “oldies but goodies” and I was thoroughly enjoying songs I hadn’t heard since my childhood when, suddenly, the music abruptly stopped, replaced by a static hiss. I was passing through…
Read MoreThoughts at a Levaya
Two of the many thoughts that came to me during the levaya of R’ Cheshin zt”l and the ensuing processing of this loss (which is yet very much incomplete): 1] If we do not “mourn” our loved ones when they are alive, yearning for them and appreciating them as much now as we would were…
Read MoreExplore the Open Avenues!
As a kid, I used to come down with strep throat every year or so. I would feel it coming on the night before and inevitably wake up with swollen tonsils, a pounding headache, and the inability to swallow. After a quick trip to the doctor, the recovery process was pretty simple; 24 hours after…
Read MoreA Dream on Shabbos Night
I traveled to a small moshav for Shabbos, where Rav Kook zt”l was purported to be spending the summer. My heart was aflame with joy over the knowledge that the Rav was indeed alive in our times. I spoke with the people in shul, expressing my great surprise that someone of Rav Kook’s stature should…
Read MoreThe Greatest Devotion
This morning, Shmuel Shmelke was very insistent on being held. I needed to get dressed and take care of a few things, but he absolutely refused to be put down. I carried him into my in-law’s basement/playroom and sat down with him on the floor next to some matchbox cars – his favorite toys. They…
Read MoreHigh-Five! We Are a Miracle!
Friends, I would like to share with you a lesson I learned this morning from my greatest teacher, my 9-month-old son, Shmuel Shmelke. B’chasdei Hashem, over the past few weeks our Shmuel has hit several developmental milestones. Among them are crawling, pulling himself up to standing position, and – most recently – high-fiving me, his…
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