Poem for the Ten

I was born weak, my vessel so small,

No wisdom, no craving, no strength at all.

Alone I would fall, my Torah be dust,

But in you, my friends, I place all my trust.

Through your fire I’m lifted, your yearning my guide,

Your love is the shelter where I can abide.

Not wicked or righteous by nature’s decree—

But righteous through you, for you carry me.

 Born a fool, with no flame in the night,

No hunger for wisdom, no yearning for Light—

The drop is decreed, “weakling, fool,” so it seems,

Condemned to the dust, to a life without dreams.

Yet the Creator, in mercy, He scattered the seeds,

Planted the righteous to answer our needs.

For alone we are ashes, corpses that rot,

But beside the great ones, new powers are caught.

The fool has no vessel, no craving, no fight,

But he cleaves to the righteous—receives their delight.

What I lack from my birth, I inherit through them,

As a beggar made king in Jerusalem.

Without them, my Torah is poison, a knife,

But with them it blossoms and gives me true life.

So wicked or righteous is not in the bone,

It’s chosen in love, it’s chosen in home.

So I fall on my face, in weakness I cry,

“Friends, lift me upward, don’t let me die!”

And the Creator replies with a whisper above:

“You are righteous through them… through faith, through love.”

 Rosh Hashanah Cry

The shofar breaks the silent night,

It calls us back to love, to Light.

The world kli trembles, torn apart,

Yet hope still burns within the heart.

The ego shouts, “It’s mine, not yours!”

But faith above reason reopens the doors.

Together as one, we rise and we pray,

That love will be written and never decay.

Creator, bind us, soul to soul,

Repair the vessel, make it whole.

A new year dawns, the heavens sing,

Inscribe us in love beneath Your wing.

 Rosh Hashanah Cry of the Ten

The shofar breaks silence, it pierces the air,

A cry from our hearts that we all must bear.

Israel rises, one voice, one song,

To crown our Creator, to Whom we belong.

We tremble and yearn, for the year now renewed,

Each prayer is a vessel, each tear is imbued.

Not for ourselves, but the whole world to see,

That “The Lord is our God” for eternity.

Our sins we confess, our pride we let fall,

The King takes His throne in the hearts of us all.

The judgment is heavy, yet mercy shines through,

For He seeks our return, to make us anew.

So, friends, my beloved, my brothers, my kin,

Let’s rise above reason, let faith flood within.

May our Ten be the spark that ignites every soul,

Till Israel glorifies Him, and the world is made whole.

 The year begins,

the mask thins,

and the heart hears a call in the bone.

The serpent grins,

counting wins,

“Keep it mine, keep it safe, keep it alone.”

But we’ve seen that trick,

it burns us quick,

so we gather the shards we can find.

We cut the slick,

ego’s pick,

and choose the King above the mind.

I am my Beloved—

that’s the shove-ed—

annul my will before His own.

Then love is covenanted,

fear is woven,

and Malchut rises to the throne.

Write us to life,

cut off the knife

of tail-chasing questions—“Who? What?”

A lion’s tail,

faith above veil,

we follow Hesed through the clot.

Shofar breath,

sweetens death,

judgment turns to mercy’s tone.

Black and white,

we sign the light,

good writing carved in living stone.

Empty space,

we lift in grace,

Romemut fills the hollowed cup.

Pomegranate case,

seeded place,

every lack says, “Friend, rise up.”

Not one by one—

that’s never done—

we bind as one society.

Shoulder to shoulder,

warmer, bolder,

we cancel exile’s piety.

Crown Him now,

teach me how—

let Your glory not lie in dust.

Make our vow,

make us bow,

turn all receiving into trust.

 The year begins, the ego cries,

“Keep it mine, believe the lies.”

But we choose the crown, the King above,

Harsh to the self, yet filled with love.

Shofar sound, it cuts the night,

Turns the judgment into light.

Empty hearts, like seeds we bring,

Pomegranate full—faith above, we cling.

Not alone, but hand in hand,

One society takes its stand.

Brutal truth, the vow we make—

Unconditional love for heaven’s sake.

1. Awakening – The Point in the Heart

I wander through life with hollow eyes,

Drunk on illusions, feeding on lies.

But a thorn in my chest will not let me sleep,

A hunger eternal, a yearning so deep.

I thought it was madness, I thought it was pain,

But it whispered of truth I could not contain.

“Seek Me in love, not in gold or in lust,

Build in the Ten, in connection and trust.”

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2. Despair – Revelation of Evil

I tried to rise, but the ego screamed,

It shattered my hope, devoured my dream.

Every prayer mocked, every deed cursed,

The will to receive showed its teeth at its worst.

I saw my reflection, a beast in the glass,

Laughing at virtue, spitting at class.

And I cried, “Creator, why was I made?

To drown in the filth of the ego’s blade?”

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3. First Light – Faith Above Reason

In the pit of despair, a spark appeared,

Silent and small, yet sharp and seared.

Not knowledge, not proof, not reason’s chain,

But a whisper of love that broke my pain.

“I am with you,” the silence said,

“Not in your mind, but in what you shed.

Give one drop of love, rise above strife,

That drop is eternal—it’s true, it’s life.”

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4. Connection – The Ten as the Vessel

I fell to the friends, my brothers, my shield,

Their love was the ground where the Light was revealed.

I annulled my pride, I swallowed my hate,

For in them I touched the eternal state.

Each heart was a flame, together they roared,

A field of mercy, the dwelling of Lord.

In their embrace my soul could breathe,

The death of self was the life I received.

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5. Faith and Love – The First Degree

Through the brutal fight, through the endless cost,

I found the one thing that is never lost.

Not power, not wealth, not a fleeting dream,

But eternal love, the Creator’s gleam.

So I give and I burn, I rise and I fall,

But the drop of bestowal outlives it all.

And though I am nothing, my soul can sing—

The first degree is everything.

The First Degree

I choke on the chains of my own desire,

Hands burned bloody from chasing the fire.

Every joy fades, every dream dies,

My heart’s a graveyard of broken lies.

I scream to the void—nothing replies,

Till shame cuts deep and opens my eyes.

I see the friends, I see the flame,

A force of love I cannot name.

The ego claws, it will not let go,

It curses the path, it hates to bestow.

But in the rubble, a whisper is heard—

Not in my voice, but in His word.

“Rise above reason, trust what you feel,

The drop of love you give is real.

It will not be lost, it cannot decay,

It’s eternal Light in a fleeting day.”

So I bow to the friends, my fortress, my guide,

Their hearts are the vessel where I abide.

Through brutal fire, through faith I’m remade,

Unconditional love is the first step laid.

In Pennsylvania’s embrace, at Fox Run’s sacred ground,

Where hearts converge, where love is found,

The Creator’s light, a beacon bright,

Guides our souls through day and night.

From JR’s eyes, the hugs unfold,

Friends like family, warm and bold,

A spectacle divine, the Creator’s art,

Painting joy within each heart.

Lance speaks of love, a tender flame,

Each friend’s embrace, no one the same,

Yearning to unite, above the strife,

Rising as one to a higher life.

Ella’s tale begins at journey’s start,

A team of care, with open heart,

Bananas, water, love’s sweet deed,

A trip that meets the soul’s deep need.

The rain, a downpour, fierce and wild,

Yet halts as if by heaven styled,

The moment we arrive, the skies clear wide,

Nature’s bow to the Creator’s pride.

That first night’s circle, voices raised,

Songs of unity, our hearts ablaze,

One family formed, hearts intertwined,

A merging of souls, pure and kind.

Ella’s friends, in awe they stand,

On gloomy days, the land so grand,

Nature’s beauty, the Creator’s face,

Manifest in this holy place.

Familiar faces, once just a screen,

Now alive, in love serene,

The American kli, a mighty force,

Part of Bnei Baruch’s sacred course.

In the forest’s heart, a circle forms,

Connected souls, through love transformed,

To Mother Nature, to each other bound,

One in spirit, on sacred ground.

The musical night, the gifts we share,

Warmth and joy fill the air,

Unity’s spark, a radiant glow,

Hearts aligned in a boundless flow.

Newcomers’ fire, their vibrant zeal,

Ignites the kli, makes it real,

A question to Rav, bold and true,

Their energy lifts the whole crew.

Andrew sings of hearts that melt,

In love’s vast sea, where grace is felt,

Forging a crown for the One above,

We dive into the waters of love.

The Creator’s reward, a burning desire,

To bestow, to rise, to lift ever higher.

Elliot’s wonder, a journey surreal,

Miracles carve paths where dreams feel real,

The right hand pulls, the left tests will,

Yet through the dark, we climb the hill.

The Middle Line, our choice, our way,

Balancing life, come what may.

Bill’s fervor drove him twenty-three hours,

Fueled by prayers for the Creator’s powers,

Light of faith, connection, and love,

Shining on the kli from above.

Sisters and brothers, with care they served,

Meals prepared, with love preserved,

Every detail, a testament clear,

To unity’s strength, to hearts sincere.

And when his truck met fate’s harsh call,

Bill’s heart still sang, “Thank you, Lord, for all.”

For this congress, the most profound,

Where heaven’s touch was truly found.

We leave on waves of love’s embrace,

Elevated, united, in sacred space,

One step closer to the Creator’s light,

Hearts merged as one, in eternal flight.

Baruch Hashem, for this holy bond,

In Pennsylvania’s arms, we found the beyond.

Ein Ode Milvado

Ashes to Flame

 

Ashes to Flame

The lies I hear

Scream loud in my ear

They promise, but tear me apart

Desires betray

They lead me astray

Leaving scars in the depth of my heart

The mask I wear

Is heavy with care

And it mocks every prayer that I cry

I stumble, I fall

I feel nothing at all

Just ashes and silence inside

The ego takes hold

Its grip turns cold

It laughs as I kneel in the dirt

It whispers with glee

“You’ll never break free—

Your love is a dream that won’t work.”

But then a hand breaks through

A friend pulls me true

Reminding me I’m not alone

In the pit of despair

They meet me there

And together we carve out a home

The ego fights back

It plans its attack

But we rise, one bundle, one flame

Through faith above reason

In every season

We cry out the Creator’s Name

So though I bleed

It’s love that I need

And it’s love that will carry me still

From the lowest descent

To the heights heaven-sent

His mercy fulfills every will