{"id":1488,"date":"2018-07-10T13:10:10","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T10:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/2018\/07\/10\/who-by-fire-a-poem-of-doubt-and-return"},"modified":"2018-07-10T13:14:46","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T10:14:46","slug":"who-by-fire-a-poem-of-doubt-and-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/2018\/07\/10\/who-by-fire-a-poem-of-doubt-and-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Who By Fire: A Poem of Doubt and Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

This\u00a0poem<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0non-traditional rabbi and spiritual seeker,\u00a0Rabbi Patrick A. Beaulier,\u00a0<\/a>explores many of the intense themes of Rosh Hashanah through a piece based on the liturgical prayer, Unetaneh Tokef<\/a>. This poem was shared on\u00a0<\/em>Ritualwell.org<\/a>, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Who By Fire: A Poem of Doubt and Return<\/h2>\n

Holiness dwells in this day
\nand our souls are overwhelmed.
\nAs a mirror reflects our image,
\nthis day reflects our Being.<\/p>\n

In Truth,
\nwe open ourselves to judgment:
\nto the All Knowing,
\nthe Witness,
\nRemembering the knowledge, lost.<\/p>\n

With honesty,
\nwe stand before the open Book of Remembrance
\nWhich proclaims itself with arrogance,
\nAnd the seal of each person is there.
\nMugshots of Divine Sparks,
\nThumbprints on sacred scrolls.<\/p>\n

The great\u00a0shofar\u00a0is sounded,
\nA still, small voice is heard.<\/p>\n

The angels of our better nature are dismayed,
\nSeized by fear and trembling, crying,<\/p>\n

As they proclaim:
\nBEHOLD!
\nBEHOLD!
\nBEHOLD!
\nThe Day of our JUDGMENT!<\/p>\n

And in our hearts we dust off the ever forgotten poem,
\nAnd we wonder if it is true.<\/p>\n

That on\u00a0Rosh Hashanah\u00a0it is inscribed,
\nAnd on Yom Kippur it is sealed:<\/p>\n

Who shall live and who shall die,<\/em>
\nWho shall perish by water\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who by fire,<\/em>
\nWho by sword\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who by beast,<\/em>
\nWho by famine\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who by thirst,<\/em>
\nWho by earthquake\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who by plague,<\/em>
\nWho by strangulation\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who by stoning,<\/em>
\nWho shall have rest\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who shall wander,<\/em>
\nWho shall be at rest\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who shall be tormented,<\/em>
\nWho shall be exalted\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who shall be brought low\u2026<\/em>
\nlow\u2026 low.<\/em>
\nWho shall be rich\u00a0<\/em>
\nand who shall be poor.\u00a0<\/em>
\nAnd if repentance,\u00a0<\/em>
\nprayer,\u00a0<\/em>
\nand righteousness\u00a0<\/em>
\nwill avert the severe decree.<\/em><\/p>\n

The origin of humankind is DUST!
\nAnd dust is our end!
\nWe earn our bread by exertion!<\/p>\n

We are like a broken shard,
\nLike dry grass: a withered flower.
\nLike a passing shadow,
\nAnd a vanishing cloud,
\nLike a breeze that blows away,
\nAnd dust that scatters,
\nLike a dream that flies away.
\nBut in our tears we remember:<\/p>\n

The heart lives for ETERNITY!
\nThat surely there is no limit to our years,
\nNo end to the length of our days,
\nNo measure to the abundance of our glory.
\nGlory.
\nGlory.<\/p>\n

When we call out to God\u2019s Name
\nWe acknowledge our lack of understanding.<\/p>\n

And yet we pray:
\nAct for the sake of
\nYour Name!
\nAnd sanctify
\nYour Name!
\nThrough those who sanctity
\nYour Name!<\/p>\n

And by what name, I am?
\nWe called You El.
\nWe called You Roi.
\nWe called You Shaddai.
\nWe called You Yahweh.
\nWe called You Difficult to Anger
\nAnd Easy to Appease.<\/p>\n

Was that for us?
\nWas that for You?
\nWe called you Teshuvah,
\nReturn,
\nFor You desire us to return from our path
\nAnd live.<\/p>\n

And live. And live. And live.
\nAnd live. And live. And live.
\nAnd live.<\/p>\n

And as You wait
\nfor us.
\nSo shall we,
\nSo shall we,
\nSo shall we
\nreturn to You.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This\u00a0poem\u00a0by\u00a0non-traditional rabbi and spiritual seeker,\u00a0Rabbi Patrick A. Beaulier,\u00a0explores many of the intense themes of Rosh Hashanah through a piece based on the liturgical prayer, Unetaneh Tokef. This poem was shared on\u00a0Ritualwell.org, a project of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College that provides a platform for creating new Jewish practices. Who By Fire: A Poem of Doubt and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1489,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3695,2611],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=1488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488\/revisions\/"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1747,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1488\/revisions\/1747\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1489\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=1488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=1488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kol-ami.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=1488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}