Hope in Ha'Shem ....

A Song of Ascents.

Out of  the depths I have called You, Ha'Shem.

Ha'Shem, hearken to my voice .... may Your ears be attentive to the cries of my techinnah.

O Ha'Shem, if You keep a record of iniquities,  Ha'Shem, who will stand?

For forgiveness is with You, in order that You be feared.

I hoped, Ha'Shem,  yea, my neshama hopes, and I wait for His word.

My neshama is to Ha'Shem among those who await the morning, those who await the morning.

Israel, hope to Ha'Shem, for kindness is with Him and much redemption is with Him.

And Ha'Shem will redeem Israel from all her iniquities.

Sorrow, Self, Sea .....

"Save me Hashem, for the waters have reached the point of taking my soul." 

~ Tehilla 69.2 ~   Parshah Naso.

For the Conductor, on Yonath Elem Rehokim, 

Of David,  A Michtam .....when the Philistines seized him in Gath.

 

Be gracious to me, O Ha'Shem, because men yearn to swallow me, all day long the warrior oppresseth me
Those who eye me have yearned to swallow me all day long, for many fight against me, 

Ha'Shem Most High
In the day I fear, I will hope to You.
With Ha'Shem, I will praise His word .... in Ha'Shem I trusted, I will not fear. 

What can flesh do to me?

All the day they trouble mine affairs; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

They lodge, they hide, they watch my steps, when they hope for my life,

Because of iniquity cast them out, in anger bring down the peoples, O Ha'Shem, my G*d
Thou has counted my wanderings; put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy accounting?
Then my enemies will retreat on the day that I call. Thereby I will know that I have a G*d.

With Ha'Shems justice I will praise a word, with Ha'Shem's kindness I will praise a word.
In Ha'Shem do I trust, I will not be afraid, what can man do unto me?
Thy vows are upon me, Ha'Shem, I will render thank-offerings unto Thee.
For Thou hast delivered my soul from death ~ hast Thou not delivered my feet from stumbling?
that I may walk before Ha'Shem in the light of the living.

Aneini ... Answer me!

 A song of David Ha'Melech, to make Memorial.

O Ha'Shem, rebuke me not in Thine anger, neither chasten me in Thy wrath.

For Thine arrows are gone deep into me, and Thy hand is come down upon me.

There is no soundness in my flesh because of Thine indignation,  

Neither is there any health in my bones because of my aveirah.

For mine iniquities are gone over my head, as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.

My wounds are noisome, putrid, they fester, because of my foolishness.
I am bent and bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day in gloom.

For my loins are full of self-effacement, there is no soundness in my flesh.

I am benumbed and sore crushed; I groan by reason of the moaning of my heart.

Ha'Shem all my desire is before Thee,  and my sighing is not hid from Thee.
My heart fluttereth, and is engulfed, my strength faileth me,  
As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my affliction, and those close to me stood afar.

They also that seek after my life lay snares for me,  

And they that seek my hurt speak crafty devices, and utter deceits all the day.

But I am as a deaf girl, I hear not, and I am as a dumb girl that openeth not her mouth.
Yea, I am become as a girl that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no arguments.
For in Thee, Ha'Shem, do I hope.  Thou wilt answer, O Ha'Shem my G*d.
For I said: 'Lest they rejoice over me; when my foot faltereth, they magnify themselves against me.'

For I am ready to halt, and my pain is continually before me.

For I do declare mine iniquity, I am full of care because of my aveirah.

But mine enemies are strong in health, and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.

They also that repay evil for good are adversaries unto me .......

Forsake me not, Ha'Shem,  O my G*d, be not far from me.
Make haste to help me, O Ha'Shem, Yishecha!

Shirat Ha' Yam ~ Song of the Sea!!

Miriam appears in Torah as a prophetess,  the sister of Moshe and Aaron (Shemot 15:20). 
Miriam means "bitter sea" because she was born at a time when the lives of  Jews were embittered in Mitzrayim.  Miriam, however, remained sweet despite the hardships around her, giving Jews courage in those difficult times. (Midrash Yalkut Shimoni ~ Exodus 165)

We sing when we are pining after one we love, when we are yearning for better times, when we are celebrating an achievement or anticipating a revelation. We sing when we are striving for something, Song is our Quest for Redemption.

Then Moshe and the children of Israel sang this song to Ha'Shem, 

and they spoke, saying, I will sing to Ha'Shem,  for very exalted is He,  

A horse and its rider He cast into the sea.
The Eternal's strength and His vengeance were my salvation,  this is my G*d, and I will make Him a habitation,  The G*d of my father,  

and I will ascribe to Him exaltation.
Ha'Shem is a Master of war, Ha'Shem is His Name.

Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea,  

The elite of his officers sank in the Red Sea.
The depths covered them,  they descended into the depths like a stone.

Your right hand, O Ha'Shem, is most powerful,  

Your right hand, Ha'Shem, crushes the foe.
And with Your great pride You tear down those who rise up against You, 

You send forth Your burning wrath,  it devours them like straw.
And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up,  

The running water stood erect like a wall,  

The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

The enemy said, I will pursue,  I will overtake,  I will share the booty.  

My desire will be filled from them,  I will draw my sword,  

My hand will impoverish them.

You blew with Your wind,  the sea covered them,  

They sank like lead in the powerful waters.
Who is like You among the powerful, O Ha'Shem?  

Who is like You,  powerful in the holy place?  

Too awesome for praises,  performing wonders!
You inclined Your right hand,  the earth swallowed them up.

With Your loving kindness You led the people You redeemed, 

You led with Your might to Your holy abode.
People heard, they trembled, a shudder seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

Then the chieftains of Edom were startled,  the powerful men of Moab,  

 Trembling seized them,  all the inhabitants of Canaan melted.

May dread and fright fall upon them, with the arm of Your greatness 

May they become as still as a stone,  until Your people cross over,  Ha'Shem, 

Until this nation that You have acquired crosses over.
You shall bring them and plant them on the mount of Your heritage, 

directed toward Your habitation, which You made, Ha'Shem, 

The sanctuary, Ha'Shem Your hands founded.
Ha'Shem will reign to all eternity.

"Save me Ha'Shem,  for the waters have reached the point of taking my soul."  
~ Parsha Naso ~ 

The Painting above is by the Artist Natalia Kadish and details may be sourced here .....  http://fineartamerica.com/featured/sea-splitting-natalia-kadish.html

A Mizmor of Asaph!

A Mizmorim regarding the wars against Yisrael in the days of Yehoshafat, when the nations plotted against Yisrael!

O Ha'Shem, keep not Thou silent, hold not Thy peace, and be not still, Ha'Shem,
For, lo, Thine enemies are in uproar, and they that hate Thee have lifted up their head.
They plot deviously against Your nation, and conspire against Thy treasured ones,
They say, "Come, let us sever them from nationhood, that the name of Yisrael may be no more in remembrance.”

For they conspire with a unanimous heart,  Against Thee do they make a covenant ....
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,  Moab and the Hagrites,
Geval and Ammon, and Amalek,  Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. 
Assyria, too,  joined with them, and became the strength of the sons of Lot,  Selah!

Do to them as to Midian, as to Sisera and Yavin at the brook of Kishon, who were destroyed at Ein Dor, and were as dung for the earth.
Make their nobles like Orev and Ze'ev,  All their princes like Zevach and Tzalmuna, who said, "Let us inherit the dwellings of Ha'Shem for ourselves.”
O Ha'Shem, my G*d, make them like the whirling dust, as straw before the wind.
As the fire that burneth the forest, and as the flame that setteth the mountains ablaze,
So pursue them with Thy tempest, and affright them with Thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame, that they will seek Your Name, Ha'Shem.
Let them be ashamed and affrighted for ever,  Let them be disgraced and perish,
That they may know that it is Thou alone whose name is Ha'Shem,  Most High over all the earth.

Love Light !!

For Nathaniel ......

~ Love Light ~

I have seen the Moonlight

A Soft, Silver Shining light

Incomparably beautiful

I have Seen the Sunlight

A Strong,  Yellow glowing ray 

 which fills every Heart with Joy

But the Only light I need

is the One which fills a Room where you are

A Light stronger than the Sunlight

and more beautiful than the Moonlight

 

The light of your Soul.  My Soul.  Our Ohr!

A Tale for Tu B'Shvat !!!

A Childrens tale ... Chanan and His Violin!

Once upon a time there lived a poor melamed, a Hebrew teacher, in a small village in Poland. He had his daily troubles with the hardheaded farmer boys who were his students. For they would rather roam the countryside than learn the alef-bet, the difference between the daledresh, or the hei and the chet.

All through the summer, the melamed had plenty of time for himself. The Jewish farmers needed their children to help in the fields, and his pupils would anyway prefer mowing corn or loading hay to learning how to read and write Hebrew. That was summer. But now it was winter, and a heavy layer of snow covered every inch of the ground upon which the poor melamed walked. Yet this was his day off. For it was Tu B’Shevat, the fifteenth day of the month of Shevat.

You know that this day is the New Year of the tree world. Our melamed, too, thought of the meaning of Tu B’Shevat as he left the village and walked towards a nearby forest. He knew very little about trees and nature in general, for he had hardly ever left his study and his beloved books. Thus, you will not be surprised to hear that the learned man was wondering in what manner the trees celebrated their Rosh Hashanah. Were they budding and putting on their coat of green, or was there any other form of celebrating the New Year of which he did not know?

When he reached the forest, he was deeply disappointed to find the trees and bushes covered with thick coats of crystal-white snow. “Who knows,” he pondered, “perhaps they were tallitot (prayer shawls) and kittels (white robes), like pious Jews on their High Holidays!” Just then a strong wind blew through the treetops, and the sounds of the swaying branches sounded like the whispering of devout prayers. Our melamed stood quietly amidst the noise of the windy forest, as fervent melodies passed through his head.

Again he asked himself: What kind of New Year do the trees celebrate? Don’t they look as if they were dead?

Suddenly, the entire scene became transformed. The melamed was able to see through the glittering, sparkling snow, as if the bark was made of pure, transparent glass. From the marrow of each little branch, tender sprouts pushed closer to the surface; yet they were careful not to go too far. It was still too cold for them to face the harshness of the world beyond the casing of the branches. But within, life was stirring, and the beginnings of new, strong branches were marking time until the Master of the trees and bushes would bring them.

The melamed eagerly drank in the full beauty of this tender spectacle. His strained eyes had never looked beyond the bark of the oaks and birches and poplars that lined the streets of his village. He had never dreamt of life and sprouting twigs deep within the trunks of those impersonal trees. Now he saw and understood that they, too, were individuals, each one in his own right and own way of life, each one with his proper soul and living spirit. The New Year of Trees was no longer meaningless to him.

A sudden gust of wind sprayed millions of fine snow-stars into the crisp air, and the melamed’s eyes were closed as by a curtain. when he was able to see again, the wondrous scene had disappeared. Only the slender fir trees swayed back and forth, and their naked branches seemed to shake with mockery.  Yet the man who returned home to the village was no longer the same poor melamed. Poor were only the clothes that covered his thin body. Poor was only the little hut that served him as a shelter. Yet deep within him budded spirited life, the blossoms of a hopeful future.

What did it matter that his students were hardheaded farm boys? He realized that deep within them lay seeds of knowledge and much learning. He knew that he had only to supply the warmth of loving understanding to lure the sprouts out of their hiding, so that they would blossom and show the fruits of their harvest. They, too, would yet become good Torah students some day!

Kehot Publication Society ~ A Bedtime Story for my Child!