Psalms In The Heart

“Seekers of the Face” When I first sought You, I was blind in need, Begging for crumbs from my own greed. I called it love — it was hunger in disguise, A thief praying softly beneath holy skies. I wept, “Reveal Yourself! Let me see!” But my plea was still “Give to me.” The heavens were silent — I cursed the air, Not knowing You heard, yet waited — there. You whispered, “Child, your cries are true, But they still reek of wanting for you. I’ll lend you My ear, but not yet My face, Till your heart learns to ask for My grace.” So You broke me — tore my prayer apart, Split my tongue from my selfish heart. Judgment burned; mercy wept within, Till both were sweetened, and light broke in. Now I seek not Your gifts, but Your will — To fill what You fill, to be still as You’re still. I don’t want joy — I want to give You mine, To mirror Your face, and erase the line. So when You seek Your seekers, find me there, Among the fools who learned to care. For I was cursed — till I learned to bl...

Wine That Burns the Fool I sipped the cup of heaven’s light, And thought, “I’ve conquered endless night!” The wine sang loud — “You are the king!” And pride began its deadly sting. I stumbled drunk on holy flame, And whispered prayers that fed my name, While truth stood silent at the gate, And let me drown in self-made fate. For this is wine that blinds the soul, It crowns the half, but kills the whole. It makes you think you’ve reached the peak, While faith grows faint and will grows weak. Oh, how I begged for more delight, Till darkness stripped away my sight, And in that void, the sober pain— I learned what “Torah” means again. It isn’t joy that fills the glass, But tears that help the poison pass. And when the heart to dust is torn, The real wine flows — the soul reborn. So drink, my friend, but drink with fear, Let love be clear, and self disappear. For only he who’s crushed and true, Can taste the Light the drunk once knew.

Closing Prayer of the Congress Creator of all, we lift our eyes, Grateful for love that never dies. Through lessons deep our hearts did grow, Above all reason Your light did flow. We annulled ourselves, we learned to bend, To feel the friend, no start, no end. We joined as one, inclusion true, A vessel formed, prepared for You. With zeal and fire, enthusiasm bright, We rose together into Your light. Our hearts were opened, flowing free, A river of love, eternity’s sea. Now as this congress comes to a close, A fragrance of unity forever grows. One prayer ascends, so pure, so strong, A chorus of souls, one endless song. Bind us, Beloved, forever in You, Each friend a mirror, each heart made new. May joy keep burning, may love never part, For You dwell forever inside our heart.

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.

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.