This poem by non-traditional rabbi and spiritual seeker, Rabbi Patrick A. Beaulier, explores many of the intense themes of Rosh Hashanah through a piece based on the liturgical prayer, Unetaneh Tokef. This poem was shared on Ritualwell.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 Return
Holiness dwells in this day
and our souls are overwhelmed.
As a mirror reflects our image,
this day reflects our Being.
In Truth,
we open ourselves to judgment:
to the All Knowing,
the Witness,
Remembering the knowledge, lost.
With honesty,
we stand before the open Book of Remembrance
Which proclaims itself with arrogance,
And the seal of each person is there.
Mugshots of Divine Sparks,
Thumbprints on sacred scrolls.
The great shofar is sounded,
A still, small voice is heard.
The angels of our better nature are dismayed,
Seized by fear and trembling, crying,
As they proclaim:
BEHOLD!
BEHOLD!
BEHOLD!
The Day of our JUDGMENT!
And in our hearts we dust off the ever forgotten poem,
And we wonder if it is true.
That on Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed,
And on Yom Kippur it is sealed:
Who shall live and who shall die,
Who shall perish by water
and who by fire,
Who by sword
and who by beast,
Who by famine
and who by thirst,
Who by earthquake
and who by plague,
Who by strangulation
and who by stoning,
Who shall have rest
and who shall wander,
Who shall be at rest
and who shall be tormented,
Who shall be exalted
and who shall be brought low…
low… low.
Who shall be rich
and who shall be poor.
And if repentance,
prayer,
and righteousness
will avert the severe decree.
The origin of humankind is DUST!
And dust is our end!
We earn our bread by exertion!
We are like a broken shard,
Like dry grass: a withered flower.
Like a passing shadow,
And a vanishing cloud,
Like a breeze that blows away,
And dust that scatters,
Like a dream that flies away.
But in our tears we remember:
The heart lives for ETERNITY!
That surely there is no limit to our years,
No end to the length of our days,
No measure to the abundance of our glory.
Glory.
Glory.
When we call out to God’s Name
We acknowledge our lack of understanding.
And yet we pray:
Act for the sake of
Your Name!
And sanctify
Your Name!
Through those who sanctity
Your Name!
And by what name, I am?
We called You El.
We called You Roi.
We called You Shaddai.
We called You Yahweh.
We called You Difficult to Anger
And Easy to Appease.
Was that for us?
Was that for You?
We called you Teshuvah,
Return,
For You desire us to return from our path
And live.
And live. And live. And live.
And live. And live. And live.
And live.
And as You wait
for us.
So shall we,
So shall we,
So shall we
return to You.