Lifting us all up - November 18, 2021

I saw myself 

Standing atop a mountain 

Not too far from the edge

With a large group of people

But in a place where we could comfortably and safely

Remain 

With no fear of falling. 

All of us who had gathered there thought we had just arrived

But we had not realized how close we had been to the precipice 

For so long. 

What prevented us from falling? 

Compassion, which was strength, not weakness

Knowledge, which was enlightening, not misleading

Truth, which was mostly consistent, and not as relative as some thought

Cooperation, which led to shared benefits, not defeat in a competitive war

Fellowship, which led to bonding even across lines of disagreement 

Understanding, and even love, which overcame any temptation to succumb to hatred. 

But there were those who began 

To seek power

To worship their own position 

To thirst for personal preservation of their status, even when it was an illusion

To sow seeds of discord that could, in their view, put others in “their place’

To pursue revenge for anyone who would question them 

And the edge of the mountain where they had assembled

Which no one realized had been thinner than they expected

Began to crumble 

Under the weight of these new believers - or doubters, depending on one’s perspective

We saw them fade from our view as the precipice shattered into small pieces

They landed, mostly safely, on the next ledge down

Shouting up at us 

Blaming us for their fate 

Telling us that they would find a way to bring us down to their level 

As we huddled ever closer to one another

Hoping to hold on to all that had preserved us

At the mountaintop. 

They did not realize that their new ledge below 

Was even weaker than the one 

from which they had fallen. 

And so, we resolved to try

In some way

To save them 

So that we 

Could save us all.

The Island of Song - Two readings for the Closing Program/Havdalah at the Shabbat Shira Virtual Conference on November 8, 2021

 The Island of Song 

Deep within an island in time 

Where rest and renewal reign 

Not far from the outer boundary of land and water 

There is  a deep blue lake…

And in the center of that lake

There is a place

Called the island of song. 

When the wind blows through the branches on the trees, 

Melodies suffuse the air and reverberate in the waves of the water 

Waiting for the voices that sometimes  venture to this hallowed space

To add their exquisite harmonies

And sacred sounds. 

Most of the time, heartfelt gifts of soul 

Have passed through the lips 

Of the children of the Eternal 

Who gather in that very place

So that the music would engulf and surround them 

In ways nearly impossible to describe to those who had not traveled 

to this incredible island. 

There came a time 

when the island of song

Found its way to a virtual venue

Where some of those same sounds could be fashioned and imagined

In the consciousness of the singers

Based on the memories 

of past gatherings.

Each scattered source 

of vocal wizardry

Learned to add special touches 

To the one single voice 

that could be heard

Once again creating the joy and spirit

That had always graced the island 

Within the island. 

As these creators of musical expression

Prepare to leave this island of song

Found deep within the island in time

May learning and connection 

Remain in mind and soul.

May the joy of togetherness linger.

May sweetness be reflected in the harmonic holiness yet to be shared. 

May the light of the Eternal 

Shine on our faces 

And in our hearts

So that while we may leave the island of song,

We know

That the island of song

Will not leave us

And will ever be 

A source of strength 

And love

And hope. 

******************************

The Lingering Sweetness 

Wine at havdalah

Is like a song that has journeyed

From creation to completion. 

Wine is fashioned from sweet grapes 

Growing on the vine.

Songs emerge out of the fruits 

Of our labors and experiences

Which are often manifestations of

Our dreams and our hopes. 

The fruit of the vine turns Shabbat into sacred time

At its beginning

And, as Shabbat concludes, 

It transmits the accumulated holiness

Of rest and renewal

To the days of the coming week. 

Songs sanctify our stories

And the feelings embodied in them

So that their essence can be shared 

With a community of partners and listeners and creators

Again and again. 

The sweetness of wine at Havdalah 

and the joy that the fruit of the vine represents

Will return six days after the light of the candle 

Is extinguished. 

A song takes on a life of its own 

So that it can be performed by its composer

And by anyone for whom its message resonates

In the depths of the soul. 

May our gathering be like the fruit of vine 

That will return to us 

When we need refreshment and renewal

In the days and months to come.