Sunday, November 23, 2008

The Beginning of the End

Darkness falls like blinding light
The end is near, it's now in sight
The time has come, the time is now
Greet the king, hes come to call

As we wait in line
Await the thrown
Things will pass
Which we've always known

As days grown long, and shorter still
Tumult passes, peace instilled
From lions mane we unite
Together now, unhindered might

The end is here
The time is now
All eyes open
Wonder
Wow

The Chandelier


Bright light shining
Throughout the room
Not one spark twinkles,
Thousands do
Each way you look there is something new.

In each twist is a light
Just waiting to be seen
Glistening, gleaming, shining on
From each little light, a new one brings
Sparkling forever

Sunday, October 05, 2008

G-d vs. Hashem

I have found myself struggling with this concept for sometime now. While on the one hand, Hashem, literally The Name, is G-d, on the other, He is not. For to name G-d is to define G-d and to define G-d is to limit G-d, and G-d by definition is limitless.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Day of Sadness, Day of Tears

Why do we suffer?
Why do we cry?
Senseless hatred
Amongst all our lives

The golden walls burning
Crying and pain
Foxes, sly foxes
Nothing more profane

We want to return
We cry and we plead
Enough now already
We regret the deed

Years pass us by
But still we do cry
Each time though, it's different
More people have died

Bring us back to you O Lord
And we shall return
Restore us, as in days of old

Sunday, August 03, 2008

G-d's Gorgeous World

I forgot to sleep last night, so as soon as it was light enough(read 05something) I headed out for a sunrise bike ride.




Lovely little Rainbow here, you can't really see it so well in the picture, it was rather faded.

A bit more yellow in the picture then in actuality, but it's beautiful, no?

Here you can see the Greenway and Sunrise as I bike. Taking a picture while biking is a lot easier than one would think, oddly enough.


Some of the prairie life that lives it's happy life on the side of the path.

At this point I turned around because it started to rain, and while I don't mind the rain, tisn't so good for my bike.(It stopped some five minutes later)

On the way back it was a touch windy, and here you can see the white undersides of a tree's leaves as they blow. I was going for the contrast between the white and green, which was rather stunning, really. Alas, I had the camera set to auto, and not night as it should have been, considering how the lighting was on that side of the path. Well, at least I learned for some of my later shots.




The tracks, oh the tracks. Off in the distance you can see the water tower and Nordicware. Did you know that the NordicWare tower used to be a grain elevator? The first(and possibly only, I have no idea) concrete grain elevator, ever. ...I'm not really sure what BRT means, but I suspect it might have something to do with the bloody loud train whistle that they blow at midnight or two in the morning, or it might be letting them know that they are entering into a populated area and crossing a street, so they aught slow down a bit. The two might actually be related, come to think of it.



At this point I could have turned off and gone home, but I felt like going a bit more, and so continued on till the coffee factory.



I'm rather fond of this one, I just love how the four leaves stand out amongst all the rest. This is also, sadly, the last picture, for here is where I turned around again, and then my batteries died, much to my chagrin as there where some lovely opportunities, that shall forever be lost to time.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Lables and Shabbos

A non-Jewish friend of mine, in Israel, was invited to Shabbos at the home of a new friend. This all came about when my friend stated a desire for Pizza and a movie. Her new friends have incorporated Pizza and Movie night into shabbos. From how I understand what she said, they watch a movie, light, and eat pizza for dinner. Now, while there is theoretically nothing wrong with this, and I know everyone does things differently...it just seems wrong to me. ..Of course, now I feel guilty and slightly sad for being semi-judgmental.

My friend then told me that the moshav is Modern Orthodox, and what is that? (Her only experience with Judaism is through Chabad, or there abouts.) ...How do you explain? Can you? On the other hand, what in one place is Modern Orthodox is Conservative in another, in one is Conservative, is Reform in another. ..Do we, as Jews, put to much emphasis on the labels and types of Jews we each are?

ETA It is not the Pizza, that I feel is 'wrong', I think. Non-traditional means are very cool. I myself had a non-traditional meal a few months back of veggie soup and tuna smaiches. I think it is the combination of a movie right before licht followed by pizza. It seems to me the wrong way to greet Shabbos. That is where I come from, saying I have been judgmental. Who I am to judge how you great and observe?

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Songs of Faith

There is a song that my we sing Shabbos night at my father's house, Kol B'yar, that I have always loved. It is one of my favorite niggunim. It is song in three languages, at least in our home. Each verse alternating, followed with a wordless refrain. Hebrew, Yiddish and English.

I hear in the forest a cry and a shout, a father seeks his children who have wandered about.
Children, children how far have you gotten, that about me, you have forgotten.
Children children please come home, it's hard for me, to be here alone
Father father, we'd like to return once more, but the guard is blocking the door.

When I was young I think that I liked it for the simple fact that it has a very nice catchy tune and rhymes in all three languages. But as I have gotten older and I think about it more, this song really talks to me. Both on a spiritual and personal level.

A rich king wants his children to be safe and happy, and the forest that surrounds the castle, though beautiful is a very dangerous place. When the children wander away from him he becomes distraught. He cries out to them, where are you, did you forget about me? I am here to protect you! But we do not answer because we are having fun in the treas and bushes. And so he goes home after a few hours, convinced that the children will follow, that they are smart enough not to get lost. But more time passes and still the children are not home, and so he goes out and calls to them please come home I miss you. But by this time the children have finished playing they no longer care about the trees and flowers, they want the stories and soup that the father has for them. Sadly the guards at the door do not recognize them in there dirty clothes and so will not allow them into the house. The children are distraught and in tears, and when their father comes out again to call them, they cry out to him, please please, we want to come home. The guard who does not know the children of course will not let them in in their soiled clothes, they look like beggars. But the king, he hears their cry, and sees their tears, immediately he rushes forward and opens the gate to embrace them.

So to is it with Hashem and the Jewish people. He is our king and father, as such He wants us to be safe. But we do not listen, we go off to play in the world, ignoring the laws and guidance He has given to us. We get dirty, and when we finally see that what we really want is not the gashmius but the Torah so we return to yiddishkiet. We find though that they way is blocked by more and more gashmius, and it is so very hard to find our way home. But if we try, and we really ask Hashem our father, he will remove the obstacles. He will help us. We just must put forth the effort.

Friday, January 04, 2008

One Truth

When things are dark
When we despair
There is a god
He's always near
This thing remember
The plan is clear
One truth forever
To always hold dear