"DON'T LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED"

Inspired by Rabash, The Agenda of the Assembly – 2

I came among my friends today,

With all my selfishness on display.

I heard their words, I saw their face,

But did I give my brother space?

I laughed, I smiled, I sang along,

Convinced myself that I belonged.

But when the gathering reached its end,

What did I carry from my friend?

Did I acquire another's pain?

Or walk away the same again?

Did I embrace his deepest need?

Or feed that bastard called my greed?

Don't tell me love is what you feel,

When someone's wounds you will not heal.

Don't speak of unity so grand,

While letting go your brother's hand.

You drill a hole beneath your feet,

And think your little world is sweet.

But damn it, brother, can't you see?

Your sinking boat is drowning me!

The Creator didn't bring us here,

To polish egos year by year.

He brought us broken, hard, and blind,

To build one heart, one soul, one mind.

So praise the friends, lift every name,

And set your selfish heart aflame.

Then ask what love demands today,

And put those words to work, I say!

For love ain't something you possess,

It's giving when you've nothing left.

It's finding joy in what you give,

And helping every brother live.

And when I leave, let something stay,

A greater love than yesterday.

Not empty words that disappear,

But all my brothers living here.

For when their hearts become my own,

No man among us stands alone.

And through the love we learn to give,

The Creator finds a place to live.

BREAK ME OPEN WITH LOVE

Inspired by Rabash, Article No. 1 (1991)

I thought I stood upon the truth,

But served myself since early youth.

I called it love, I called it prayer,

But all I wanted was my share.

You stripped the lies from deep within,

Exposed the selfishness beneath my skin.

Not to condemn, not to destroy,

But turn my shame to endless joy.

So break my pride and crush my throne,

I cannot change this heart alone.

Take every thought of "me" away,

And teach this beast to love today.

No crown I seek, no grand reward,

Just strength to serve You, precious Lord.

Through all my friends, let love shine through,

For we have no other King but You.

When the Heart Speaks

 

When the Heart Speaks

William S. Becker

When the room is quiet and the lights are low,

It doesn't mean that you don't know.

When the world is screaming deep inside,

It's not a reason to run and hide.

It's a time to truly listen to the heart,

Then let the mind decide where to start.

For every wound that life has made,

There's a truth beneath the scars that stayed.

The heart may break, the tears may fall,

But love still waits beyond it all.

And every shadow that clouds the day,

Is another chance to find the way.

Don't curse the darkness, don't fear the night,

The deepest longing can lead to light.

For what you seek is not yours alone,

It's found in the hearts you've come to know.

So take that pain and turn it around,

Let love be the answer that you've found.

For when our hearts begin to blend,

The lonely road has reached its end.

And when the room is quiet once more,

You'll know what all the pain was for.

Not to receive, not to stand apart,

But to give the love within your heart.

"I WANT NOTHING BUT TO GIVE"

 

Inspired by Rabash — Concerning Bestowal

I gave my heart, I gave my hand,

And thought that I could understand.

But deep beneath the things I'd done,

I found myself in every one.

I called it love, I called it grace,

But still my ego held its place.

I served with joy, I stood with pride,

While selfish love remained inside.

What kind of love demands a prize?

What kind of truth is built on lies?

If giving makes me feel so grand,

Whose pleasure really guides my hand?

And if another gives You more,

Will I step back and close that door?

Or will my pride refuse to bend,

And call itself a faithful friend?

Oh, break this heart that lives for me,

And give it strength to set love free.

Strip every bargain from my soul,

Until Your joy becomes my goal.

I cannot kill this selfish flame,

By strength of will or holy name.

The more I fight, the more I see,

This beast is far too strong for me.

But in the Ten, where hearts unite,

We raise our prayer into the light.

Not for a crown, not for a throne,

But strength to love beyond our own.

I want no payment for my tears,

No compensation for my years.

Just give me what I cannot earn,

A heart that gives without return.

And if another takes my place,

I'll celebrate his gift of grace.

For love is not what comes to me,

But what I give so You may be

The One whose joy becomes my own,

Where selfish love is overthrown.

And in that truth, at last I live,

I WANT NOTHING BUT TO GIVE.

# When Even His Shadow Disappears

*By William S. Becker*

I prayed with all the strength I knew,  

Yet nothing changed, no light came through.  

I gave my heart, I gave my all,  

And still I watched my fortunes fall.

I searched for Him through endless night,  

But every wrong appeared as right.  

The wicked laughed, their tables filled,  

While those who served Him suffered still.

I watched the honest bend and break,  

While liars prospered in their wake.  

And every time I tried once more,  

Another hardship reached my door.

I cried, "Where is the One above?  

Where is the mercy, where's the love?"  

But silence answered every plea,  

Till even faith abandoned me.

I blamed the world, I blamed my fate,  

And let my heart grow cold with hate.  

No longer could I understand,  

Or recognize His guiding hand.

Yet He had never gone away,  

Though I could find no words to pray.  

His light remained beyond my sight,  

Concealed behind the darkest night.

And when my strength was finally gone,  

The friends became the ground I'm on.  

For what my heart could not restore,  

Their love could help me seek once more.

Not for reward, nor worldly gain,  

Not for an ending to my pain.  

But just to bring Him joy above,  

Through friends united into love.

So let the darkness hide His face,  

I'll seek Him in our meeting place.  

And though His shadow disappears,  

Our common prayer will rise through tears.

When His Face Is Hidden

When every road I walk turns wrong,  

And every night seems twice as long,  

When debts come knocking at my door,  

And life demands a little more.

When friends turn cold and hopes decay,  

And everything I build gives way,  

When all my efforts end in pain,  

And every loss becomes my gain.

I search for goodness in the night,  

But cannot find it in my sight,  

I know that You control it all,  

Yet still I stumble, still I fall.

I will not blame some twist of fate,  

Or curse the burdens of my state,  

For even when Your Face I lack,  

I know I'm looking at Your back.

But through my friends I make my plea,  

Correct the heart that lives in me,  

Not for the pain to disappear,  

But that Your goodness may appear.

And if tomorrow brings the same,  

I'll hold the greatness of Your Name,  

Until our hearts unite as one,  

And what was hidden meets the sun.

The Face That Never Turned Away

Inspired by Rav Laitman's lesson • Original poem

I walked through darkness, burdened with pain, 

I cursed the losses, the sorrow, the rain. 

I searched for a reason, someone to blame, 

And thought that the Creator had turned from my name.

I cried in the silence, I begged for a sign, 

Why does this suffering have to be mine? 

But buried beneath what my heart couldn't see, 

The One who was hidden was guiding me.

His face never turned, His love never died, 

It was I who had turned to the opposite side. 

For the Light never changes, the truth stays the same, 

It's the vessel within me that carries the blame.

The pleasure can blind me, the suffering too, 

Both can conceal what is righteous and true. 

For what good is pleasure if love disappears, 

And what good is sorrow if lost in my tears?

The friends are my shelter when darkness draws near, 

They strengthen my purpose and conquer my fear. 

The love that I planted when daylight was bright, 

Returns through the friends in the dead of the night.

Don't give me a fortune, don't promise me gold, 

Give me the strength when my heart becomes cold. 

To rise above pleasure, above all the pain, 

And give to the One who has nothing to gain.

Let every correction awaken my heart, 

Let love of the friends become where I start. 

For faith isn't blindness or words that I say, 

It's feeling the One who was there all the way.

So bring me the darkness, or bring me the sun, 

My work is to cleave to the Only One. 

Not for the pleasure, not fearing the pain, 

But to bring Him contentment, again and again.

And when all the shadows have fallen away, 

I'll see that His face never turned for a day. 

The Creator was giving, His goodness was true, 

The turning was mine, and the correction was too.