From Atonement to Joy
The shofar cried out, a new year begun,
A crown for the King, the many made one.
We trembled and prayed, each heart took its place,
Yearning for mercy, for closeness, for grace.
Yom Kippur arrived, a white day of flame,
We shed all our garments of ego and shame.
No food for the body, no drink for the clay,
But rivers of tears washed the barriers away.
From silence of hunger to fullness of song,
The gates of compassion stay open, lifelong.
For atonement was only the key to the door,
To enter the house where true love can soar.
Now every day given is seed in the ground,
Watered by friends where the Shechina is found.
The joy is in giving, in love’s quiet call,
Advancing together, bestowing to all.
