Post by Jen on Oct 28, 2008 20:28:09 GMT -5
אדוני שפתי תפתח. ופי יגיד תהילתך
Adonai s'fatai tiftach ufi yagid t'hilatecha.
My Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare your glory.
There are those who believe that creation was not a single act, but is an ongoing process, that we are all created anew each and moment. To carry that belief to its logical conclusion, I am not the same person I was when I began writing this note... in fact, I'm a completely different person than I was about fifteen minutes ago, when I was suddenly hit with the urge to write this note. The words that begin the Jewish tefilah, or standing prayer, are the words which suddenly entered my mind (that's what that first sentence in Hebrew is). There was no recognizable stimulus for the words; in fact, at the time I was just loading up some backup tapes at work. But now I can't help but feel like I need to do something I don't do often... straight praise of God.
For all of the myriad blessings I have recieved, I offer praise. I cannot help but feel that the wind's icy bite is a reminder of all the things I am blessed with... friends, family, shelter, steady work, curiosity...
So often we thank God for all of the good things and wish away all of the bad things. We are not interested in the duality of creation. However, there are reminders that God is the creator of all... there are reminders that sometimes the lines we draw between good and evil are a matter of our own flawed perspectives. To the lion, hunting down an elk, that moment of capture is a glorious moment of bounty and plenty; to the elk, it is the end of a life that perhaps had goals still left unfinished. To a man who steals bread, there is a moment of bittersweet glory, a mixture of emotions... perhaps relief that, tonight at least, he will be able to feed his family; perhaps sadness that his children must go without when he would like nothing more than to give them the world; perhaps fear that he may be caught and punished for what is, essentially, a crime; perhaps a moment of doubt, wishing he could think of any other way; perhaps a quiet rage against the injustice of having to scavenge and steal to keep his family alive when others waste so much.
Why is it that some people believe they are more entitled to happiness and plenty than others when we are all made in the image of God? Every flaw, every scratch, every imperfection of person and character is just as much a part of that image as are the positive attributes. Being made in God's image is a unifying bond for humanity. Just as God cares for us, we are to care for each other. Instead of praying for God to cause miracles to happen, we are to be the miracles, we are the creatures who have been given the gifts that will allow us to see that the weak, the sick, the destitute, and the hungry are cared for and are protected. And if we are created new each moment, we can make the decision that each new creation of ourselves will be better than the last... we can learn to let go of our old grudges and prejudices, our old habits and shortcomings because we are never the same person twice.
So, to the God of constant change, the God of flaws and imperfection, the God who makes everything new, I offer blessings. To the God who gives and takes, to the God who grants and denies, I accept that perfection means not always having the things I want and need... because existence that acknowledges only the positive things denies God's wisdom in creating the negative things. One cannot fathom perfection without understanding that, if God's creation is perfect, and if what we perceive as flaws exist, then perfection includes the things we perceive as flaws.
To the hand that comforts as well as the hand that afflicts, I make a promise. I promise that each moment I will do my utmost to be the new person you have intended me to be. I promise that I will fight injustice when I see it instead of standing idly by. I promise that I will be mindful of my actions so that I am part of the solution--the healing of our world--rather than a contributor to those things that cause others pain and misery. I promise to take the time to look beyond my own flawed perspective so that I can glimpse a greater good instead of focusing merely on my own concerns and the things immediately before me. I promise that next year on Yom Kippur I will not have to atone for the sin of these broken promises, but I may occasionally get things wrong, as humans are wont to do... Our prayers are not in our words, but in our actions. So let not only my lips declare your glory, but my hands as well.
Adonai s'fatai tiftach ufi yagid t'hilatecha.
My Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare your glory.
There are those who believe that creation was not a single act, but is an ongoing process, that we are all created anew each and moment. To carry that belief to its logical conclusion, I am not the same person I was when I began writing this note... in fact, I'm a completely different person than I was about fifteen minutes ago, when I was suddenly hit with the urge to write this note. The words that begin the Jewish tefilah, or standing prayer, are the words which suddenly entered my mind (that's what that first sentence in Hebrew is). There was no recognizable stimulus for the words; in fact, at the time I was just loading up some backup tapes at work. But now I can't help but feel like I need to do something I don't do often... straight praise of God.
For all of the myriad blessings I have recieved, I offer praise. I cannot help but feel that the wind's icy bite is a reminder of all the things I am blessed with... friends, family, shelter, steady work, curiosity...
So often we thank God for all of the good things and wish away all of the bad things. We are not interested in the duality of creation. However, there are reminders that God is the creator of all... there are reminders that sometimes the lines we draw between good and evil are a matter of our own flawed perspectives. To the lion, hunting down an elk, that moment of capture is a glorious moment of bounty and plenty; to the elk, it is the end of a life that perhaps had goals still left unfinished. To a man who steals bread, there is a moment of bittersweet glory, a mixture of emotions... perhaps relief that, tonight at least, he will be able to feed his family; perhaps sadness that his children must go without when he would like nothing more than to give them the world; perhaps fear that he may be caught and punished for what is, essentially, a crime; perhaps a moment of doubt, wishing he could think of any other way; perhaps a quiet rage against the injustice of having to scavenge and steal to keep his family alive when others waste so much.
Why is it that some people believe they are more entitled to happiness and plenty than others when we are all made in the image of God? Every flaw, every scratch, every imperfection of person and character is just as much a part of that image as are the positive attributes. Being made in God's image is a unifying bond for humanity. Just as God cares for us, we are to care for each other. Instead of praying for God to cause miracles to happen, we are to be the miracles, we are the creatures who have been given the gifts that will allow us to see that the weak, the sick, the destitute, and the hungry are cared for and are protected. And if we are created new each moment, we can make the decision that each new creation of ourselves will be better than the last... we can learn to let go of our old grudges and prejudices, our old habits and shortcomings because we are never the same person twice.
So, to the God of constant change, the God of flaws and imperfection, the God who makes everything new, I offer blessings. To the God who gives and takes, to the God who grants and denies, I accept that perfection means not always having the things I want and need... because existence that acknowledges only the positive things denies God's wisdom in creating the negative things. One cannot fathom perfection without understanding that, if God's creation is perfect, and if what we perceive as flaws exist, then perfection includes the things we perceive as flaws.
To the hand that comforts as well as the hand that afflicts, I make a promise. I promise that each moment I will do my utmost to be the new person you have intended me to be. I promise that I will fight injustice when I see it instead of standing idly by. I promise that I will be mindful of my actions so that I am part of the solution--the healing of our world--rather than a contributor to those things that cause others pain and misery. I promise to take the time to look beyond my own flawed perspective so that I can glimpse a greater good instead of focusing merely on my own concerns and the things immediately before me. I promise that next year on Yom Kippur I will not have to atone for the sin of these broken promises, but I may occasionally get things wrong, as humans are wont to do... Our prayers are not in our words, but in our actions. So let not only my lips declare your glory, but my hands as well.