THIS IS FOR YOU. THIS IS FOR ME.

בס"ד

29 Kislev


Related to me today by Rabbi James Stone Goodman:

On the fifth night of Hanukkah
Rebbe Nachman appeared as an angel
he spoke out of a black thatch of beard
reminded me to walk daily
without my shoes
through the grass.

He told this story
a young man left home
traveled to a faraway land
where he learned the art of making menorahs.
When he returned home
he asked his father to gather together
the townspeople
to show off his skills.
As he worked the son covered the menorah
with a large cloth
even the father had not seen it.

When the son unveiled his work
everyone was silent
they didn’t find the menorah attractive.
The father approached every one
individually
asked them what they thought
about the menorah.
Each one said they saw a defect
each a different defect.

The father told his son
what one person praised
another person cursed.
That's what I learned
said the son
each defect is in the eyes
of the person who sees it
so I fashioned my menorah
entirely out of defects.
I made the menorah
out of flaws.
Now I will begin
its restoration and repair.

Rebbe Nachman always giggled
when he came to the end of a story.
Anyone who finds a flaw
finds his own flaw.


Here's to fire. The ShalhevetYah, the Holy flame of G@d which purges us of our flaws with ahavat shleymut.

...BE'KHOL LEVAVKHA...

בס"ד

13 Kislev

G@d can be more easily found in human love than in human thought.

JUST ONE MORE DAY

בס"ד

11 Kislev

I've returned to Vancouver from New York, but am in need of a one-day retreat from human interaction. My world has been radically altered since my last post. Aside from driving our rabbi & rebbetzin to the airport this morning on little sleep, I've kept away. Humankind & its demands can wait until tomorrow.

STRANGLEHOLD

בס"ד

Rosh Chodesh Kislev

R' Naftali Citron was on the Daily Show tonight. I remember his generous presence gliding through the women's section of the Carlebach shul one Shabbat last summer, smoothly halting for each of us to touch & kiss his Torah.
That piece was followed up with a performance by the White Stripes. I love Jon Stewart.

You can define art for yourself but you cannot define sofrut for yourself, as the boundaries of that world are both broader & narrower than the "you". You cannot fit it to your existing shape in the Bourroughs-esque style so popular now, but must morph your "you" into its Palace of Torah.

The Sanctuary of Sofrut has already been built for us, with great care & attention by our wise elders; the only part of its frame which requires renovation, from where I stand & stare, is that Judaism must be transformed into a meritocracy.

BURST

בס"ד

Rosh Chodesh Kislev

flashes of insight on my Nature
cross my sights
so fleeting
I can grasp them consciously only
for a moment
I pray my Inner Self can hold them
so I may not be lost