Rejoice in the Eternal One, O doers of justice!
To those who are upright, praise is becoming.
Pluck a thankful song to God on your lyre,
Let your ten-string sing out to the Eternal One!
Sing a song to God so it will sound brand new.
Play sweetly with shouts of joy!
For the word of the Eternal One is upright
All Your deeds reveal Your faithfulness.
You love righteousness and justice.
Your love and care fill all the earth.
(Psalm 33:1-5)
What if
There are people who say they are upright
Who seek to subvert human decency?
What if there are individuals charged with justice
Who allow for bigotry, hatred and prejudice to thrive?
What if there are leaders who proclaim that they are righteous
All the while drawing a circle of acceptance and salvation
That promotes exclusion and intolerance
Asserting that their attitudes and policies that lead to oppression
spring from their self-claimed correct understanding of holy texts
Which they would seek to impose on others?
Do they sing a thankful song
when they seek to deny respect to fellow human beings?
Do they believe that God is on their side
So that their declarations of triumph can be considered
To constitute praise of their Creator?
Do they rejoice in their judgments that deprive individuals of rights previously granted?
There are other doers of justice who continue to stand for
Equality and opportunity
There are promoters of love and care who offer support and hope.
There are those who measure righteousness
Based on kindness and empathy bestowed
That bring comfort and contentment
So that people who benefit from that right action
will know light in the face of darkness.
The depth of the moral night that seems, at times, overwhelming, Has the potential to prevent the righteous
from finding the words and the melody
That could fashion a new song of joy
And infuse it into the world.
May the One who looks down on this earth
A beautiful blue oasis in the blackness of space
Send into the universe
The lyrics and the tune
That will warm our hearts
And sustain us in our search for sweet moments
Amid the miracles of our lives.
************************************
Translation:
After Rabbi Richard Levy’s Songs Ascending: The Book of Psalms, A New Translation, CCAR Press, 2017; and Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures: The New Jewish Publication Society translation according to the traditional Hebrew text; JPS, 1985).
No comments:
Post a Comment