Elul gets our souls ‘warmed up’ to start fresh for the New Year.
For Elul this year, I am pleased to share with you words from some of my favorite teachers from whom I have learned a great deal over the years. Some may be familiar and some may be new to you. I will bring you selections from the Sfat Emet, Henry David Thoreau, Rabbi Jonathan Slater and more plus my commentary on them. I welcome your thoughts.
Please share brief teachings from your favourites. If you have a special text, verse, poem, or prose that has influenced you during your life, please send it to me at rabbiplumb@mishkantefila.org .
Poetry for the Soul
Yom Kippur Eve by Zelda On the eve of Yom Kippur, we sailed From experiences ended to experiences begun.
The eve of Yom Kippur was for us The beginning of time In the silence of an island Whose candles lit the sea.
There you held me to your sorrowing heart in the presence of the Almighty,
Before you went to pray with all the rest, Before you became one of the flock in the chapel,
One of the trees in the forest. When boulders crumble, the wind sweeps away miles of salt–
These are the awesome acts of the Creator.
But one bird insists on singing. Come, voices of birds, peck at my soul,
Awaken it from its freeze,
Free me from the sea of ice.
The Spectacular Difference: Selected Poems of Zelda trans by Marcia Falk
