Redemption Now
"My bags are packed and I'm ready to go." That reminds me of that childhood story of the Chafetz Chaim sleeping with his suitcase ready for moschiach. Which reminds me of the time I heard Rav Soloveichik talk abouit how moschiach will come on a normal day in a nonchalant way. Which reminds me of a story someone told me yesterday via Nechama Leibowitz about how Moshe and Aharon ended up seeing paroh alone because the zkeinim came up with excuses like dentist appointments and carpools untill they'd all pulled out. Which reminds me of how people sometimes tell a story as if you know it, kind of implying that something's not quite right if you don't. Which reminds me of a time many tears ago when a yeshiva guy gave a dvar Torah about Avraham saying he didn't know Sarah was beautiful and how "we all know the medrash about her covering her face with a veil" - and I'd never heard the medrash before. That reminds me of the way we all know different things from our childhood, some that seem obvious though others may never have heard them before. Aaron Bulman, Z"L thought that everyone might have been familiar with the idea of a rainbow representing surrender via an inverted bow. Which reminds me that I miss Aaron and want to write up more of his poems and and and.
As my mother, OBM, used to say, "Let's try this again." My bags are laid out. I am ready to go. My trip for Yom Tov should take about an hour and there are two hours to go. I could leave now. Or could I? That reminds me of a fantastic talk I heard from teacher and author Dr. Daniel Rynhold on freedom. he gave charming, down to earth examples, like saying that people thought they had made the choice to come to his shiur, but did they really? He promised us what he promises his students that if we remembered one thing from what he said it would be this: that the Ralbag has a crater on the moon named for him.
I'm still processing my own freedom. The first and middle days. And here come the last days of Pesach. I have so much to write yet. There is a time for everything, a time to blog and a time to hold back from blogging, a time to sit at home and a time to travel away, a time to worry and a time to relax, a time to talk about time, and a time to move through it without writing it all down.
Here are some of the diary notes I've scratched out in poetic form over the past few days:
"Finish the kadish,"
they shout out at the poor guy.
What is G-d's response?-
Chazan replaced whole with half -
What is complete before G-d?
p
On Venus they go up and down
It could be a word you don't recall saying
It might have nothing to do with you at all
Though , honestly, since we are visitors
The Venusians thoughts might be about us.
-
Standing in the sun
I feel her warmth upon me
She is always there-
In forms covered and revealed
The sun is ever glowing
-
"The thing with feathers,"
That's what dear Emily said
And I feel the sun
Hope is a ball of fire
A center of light and heat
-
Ashrei
A pure expression
Of sublime, ecstatic praise*,
“G-d opens His hand…”
*These words are taken and adapted from
A pure expression
Of sublime, ecstatic praise*,
“G-d opens His hand…”
*These words are taken and adapted from
the Artscroll Siddur’s commentary to Ashrei, pg. 67
-
Correct Me If I’m Wrong
Food of sacrament
For us traditional Jews
Today there are two
We sanctify our eating
Through the matzah and maror
Food of sacrament
For us traditional Jews
Today there are two
We sanctify our eating
Through the matzah and maror
“My beautiful son”
Over lunch father repeats
“My beautiful son”
Joyfully loving his boy
In “My Most Favorite Food”
m
Wishing all a great end of Pesach and redemption now.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 4:47 PM
5 Comments:
I really enjoy your stream-of-consciousness narratives, like this one. It's like a diagram of your neurons firing.
PS: I hope you had a nice Pesach.
Thank you so much Anne. I hope you had a lovely Easter. I've been thinking a lot lately about thinking. Is it good or bad to think, think, think. I's still thinking it through...
love that last my most favorite food poem... Really made me read it over a couple times.. did you overhear that snippet of conversation?
Welcome back to work! Ill miss Pesach too, but your picture back at work made me feel optimistic about the return to work...
Rayzel
Thanks Rayzel, you made my day!
On chol hamoed I was at My Most Favote. The friend I was dining with went to ask about the non gebruchts Pesach cakes available for purchase. While she was out talking to the owner and brains behind the restaurants and related cookbooks I took in my surroundings.
This young man was being playful with his cute little son, who looked to be about two. He bounced him down on the restauraunt couch/booth type seat diagnally opposite mine and asked if he was comfortable as he sat there in mock grown up pose. The father picked up the boy and put him back down and so weetly and easily kepy saying, My beautiful son."
It was quite a moment. it reminded me of the time my brother was in pizza place and saw a father and son. And the son looked up from eating his slice and sad, "Daddy...I love you." And the father paused and looked back and said warmly, "I love you too."
I started writing the poem on the spot and tweaked it later. It means a lot to me to get feedback on it. All my poems are my creations, but this one meant something extra to me. Thanks!
Work like life is comprised of many dots. It's not accurate to even say it's ups and downs, becuse the dots, like in a pointalist painting, are all blended together with light mixed into the dark, etc. Teaching is a great blessing with a lot of bright colored dots in the mix. Thank G-d.
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