the first 4 lessons of congress

Lesson one struck fire in our soul,

The “what” was revealed, the higher goal.

Hitbatlut whispered, “Annul and bend,

Lose yourself so the Light can descend.”

Lesson two came rushing in,

The “when” was shown, the time to begin.

Hitkalelut shone, inclusion so sweet,

All hearts as one, where the heavens meet.

Lesson three brought vision bright,

The “where” appeared in radiant light.

Not in myself, but the friend I find,

The vessel of love, one heart, one mind.

Lesson four rose with trembling reason,

A prayer beyond, in this holy season.

Hitpahalut burned, enthusiasm’s flame,

The “who” and “how” no longer the same.

Now four lessons carved in one beating heart,

Each H a ladder, each step a part.

Annulment, inclusion, and zeal we raise,

Together ascending in love and in praise.

Hand in hand, our souls combine,

One prayer, one voice, one heart, one line.

The Creator smiles as the walls fall apart,

And eternity blossoms inside our heart.

When the sky falls, leaving us in the dark,

Do we remember where we parked?

As the showers begin, like Binah’s flow,

What is it we need to know?

What is the purpose of life

When it’s filled with so much strife?

It’s to bind our hearts, to give and to share,

To rise above self and learn how to care.

To turn every shadow into a spark,

To build a beacon within the dark.

To feel the Creator in friend and foe,

To drink from His river and let it flow.

For the night may descend, but love is our key—

Uniting as one is our true destiny.

Waste of Granary and Winery

We stumble in fields where the shadows grow tall,

The granary’s empty, the heart feels so small.

A stranger inside, with no light to defend,

The winery whispers, “This road has no end.”

The waste piles high—our failures, our shame,

We curse at the heavens, yet it’s all the same.

The ego will mock, “You are nothing but dust,”

It drags us through filth, through desire and lust.

But hear me, my brothers, the waste is the key,

The trash of the journey builds Sukkah for thee.

What looks like rejection, like rot, like decay,

Becomes Clouds of Glory when we choose to stay.

Above reason we walk, though the night is severe,

We build from the garbage the roof of our year.

The Creator takes waste and He fashions it whole,

Till bestowal’s not secret but etched in the soul.

So don’t fear the failure, the hunger, the fight,

They’re bricks of the dwelling that shine in His light.

From ashes to dwelling, from broken to true,

The waste is the ladder He’s giving to you.

poem from shamati 96

Beneath the cloud where reason dies,

The heart is stripped of all its ties.

No knowledge left, no ground, no gain,

Just faith to walk through night and pain.

The waste of fields, the wine turned sour,

The soul stands naked, hour by hour.

No greatness shines, no guiding flame,

Yet whispers still, “Exalt My Name.”

O thief of Light, beware the snare,

Who grasps for proof finds only despair.

The ear once pierced must learn anew,

“Steal not My fire—it is not for you.”

So low, so lost, yet joy is born,

From faith that rises, tattered, torn.

A servant true, through storm and fall,

Who owns nothing—yet owns it all.

In Sukkah’s shade we learn to stay,

A guest of God along the way.

Temporary walls, yet hearts made strong,

By faith alone we sing our song.

Prayer of "There Is None Else Besides Him"

Prayer of “There Is None Else Besides Him”

Creator, when shadows rise and faith seems dim,

We whisper together: “It’s all from Him.”

No friend, no foe, no force, no flame,

But only One, His holy Name.

When bitterness strikes or joy is near,

We know it’s You who brought us here.

Both night and day, both loss and gain,

Are gifts from You, not random pain.

If hatred stings or love appears,

It’s You who guides us through the years.

Darkness, light, both dance Your whim—

We see at last: There’s none but Him.

No hand can harm, no trap can bind,

Except what You in love designed.

Each fall, each rise, each tear, each hymn,

Declares the truth: There’s none but Him.

So bind us now as one true heart,

That nevermore from You we part.

Our prayer ascends, our song, our limb:

Forever—There is none but Him.

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From Atonement to Joy

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.

The Generations of the Righteous

The Generations of the Righteous

The fruit of the righteous is not flesh and bone,

But deeds of bestowal the soul has grown.

Not words of the lips, nor rituals wide,

But actions for Heaven where ego has died.

In days of ascent, he is praised in song,

In nights of descent, they condemn him as wrong.

Yet both are his children, both day and the night,

Each fall is a vessel prepared for the Light.

The narrow-eyed man sees the Torah for gain,

The good-eyed reads love in each holy refrain.

The one sows for self, and his fruits turn to dust,

The other for Heaven, his harvest is just.

Two wives walk beside him: the Shadow, the Flame,

Faith over reason, and Torah by name.

Together they crown him, his wholeness they weave,

The generations of righteous—the deeds that believe.