the death of moses
Posted: October 12, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Judaism, Poetry, Religion, Torah Commentary, Ve'zot Ha'beracha 4 Comments »
the night before he died he
dreamed he was floating in the
water like a freshly fallen
leaf whirling further and
further downstream just
before he went under
the daughter of his executioner
drew him out of the water
and cradled him in
her arms
turning to his savior he
wondered could this
be the face
of god?
the next day as he gazed into
the eyes of his beloved
his soul was reclaimed
with a kiss and
the one whose
name means taken
from the water
flowed
effortlessly
back
to
the
sea
(Deuteronomy 34)
On Sukkot: Turn and Turn Again
Posted: September 30, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Ecclesiastes, Holidays, Music, Rock and Roll, Sukkot Leave a comment »On Sukkot eve, some selections from Ecclesiastes to help you celebrate this time of our rejoicing…
a generation goes a generation comes
but the earth remains forever
the sun rises the sun sets and
glides back to where it rises again
southward blowing turning northward ever
turning blows the wind
on its rounds the wind returns
all streams flow into the sea but
the sea is never full
to the place from which they flow
there they will flow back again
(Ecclesiastes 1:4-7)
face to face
Posted: September 28, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Death and Dying, Ha'azinu, Judaism, Poetry, Religion, Torah Commentary 2 Comments »
“Death of Moses” by Alexandre Cabanel
on that day the lord said to
moses take your final
journey ascend to the top
of mt nebo and i will show you
the land from above
do you see how it
fulfills my promise do you
see how its light flows
and dances like
milk and honey do not
grieve moses do not be
frightened for now you will
finally greet me face to face
the moment for which you’ve
yearned now turn and gaze
into the eyes of
your beloved
(Deuteronomy 32:48-52)
Wrestling Our Way Home: A Sermon for Erev Yom Kippur 5773
Posted: September 27, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Forgiveness, God, Holidays, Judaism, Reconciliation, Religion, Torah Commentary, Vayishlach, Yom Kippur 1 Comment »
From my Erev Yom Kippur sermon last Tuesday:
I’ve often thought that there’s (a different Torah portion) that is just as appropriate – perhaps even more appropriate – for Yom Kippur. I’m referring to the famous episode in the 32nd and 33rdchapters of Genesis, when Jacob wrestles on a riverbank with a mysterious stranger the night before he meets up with his estranged twin brother Esau.
Anyone who’s read or studied this text will attest that it’s a phenomenal story with deliciously rich spiritual symbolism. Indeed, I often find myself returning to this portion for its insights on forgiveness, reconciliation and personal transformation. All of which, of course, are central themes to the Yom Kippur holiday.
So on this Yom Kippur eve, please allow me to submit this story as an alternative Torah portion for your spiritual consideration. I hope its lessons will help us all engage more deeply in the spiritual work that lays ahead this coming new year.
Click below to read the entire sermon:
bitter fruit
Posted: September 21, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Judaism, Poetry, Religion, Torah Commentary, Vayelech 2 Comments »
the lord said to moses soon you
must die and my children will
cross over the river
a generation that did not know
slavery and liberation
who has known only wandering and
wilderness
who do not know this land
cannot fulfill its promise
that their struggle
will never be complete
therefore write down this song and
teach it to them put it
in their mouths so that when
the season turns and
they harvest bitter fruit
the taste of milk and
honey will not be
far from their
lips
(Deuteronomy 31:14-21)
Monotheism and its Discontents: A Sermon for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5773
Posted: September 18, 2012 Filed under: God, Holidays, Interfaith, Judaism, Religion, Sermons 5 Comments »
From my Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon last Sunday:
Isn’t it profoundly presumptuous to say our God is the only God? I think we can all agree that right and wrong that should apply to everyone, without exceptions, but whose right and whose wrong are we talking about? Why should our faith system – or any faith system – get to determine the will of this universal moral authority? It’s all well and good to affirm that we all serve one universal God, but history is replete with examples of heinous acts committed by people of faith who believed the rest of the world should do their God’s bidding.
Click below to read the entire sermon:
On a New Year of Healing, Hope and Transformation
Posted: September 16, 2012 Filed under: High Holidays, Holidays, Judaism, Peace, Religion, Rosh Hashanah, Sermons 1 Comment »
From my Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon five years ago:
Yes, our actions do make a difference. Every opening of a door, every act of peacemaking, every move we make to heal the world around us has the potential to create a sacred transformation. They can make a difference in ways we can see readily and in ways we will never truly know.
And lest I forget one more crucial point: such actions have the potential to transform our own lives as well. Isn’t that what this time is year all about in the end? That we need not surrender to the complex, often painful external events that too often enter our lives. That no matter what, we can start anew, that our actions do make a difference. I have said it before and I will it argue to anyone willing to listen: if our spiritual tradition stands for anything, it stands for the eternal possibilities of healing, of hope, of transformation. No matter what may happen in the world around us, we are not simply bystanders bearing witness to eternal cycles of occurrence and recurrence. We can break these cycles, we can re-chart our courses, in a myriad of small and not so small ways. And if we ever have any doubts about this, we gather and affirm this truth together every single new year.
And here we are. Another new year has arrived. Another door has opened before us. The gates have opened wide. Let’s join hands, step forward, and walk through them together.
Sending blessings for a New Year of healing, hope and transformation…
know with whom you stand
Posted: September 14, 2012 Filed under: Bible, Judaism, Nitzavim, Poetry, Religion, Torah Commentary 1 Comment »
“Crowd at Coney Island” Weegee, 1940
you stand here this day all of
you before me your tribal heads
your elders your officials your wives your
husbands your children your friends
enemies jewish christian muslim hindu
buddhist taoist jain believers
doubters deniers blessed cursed
wounded wandering howling breaking
into song crying out in pain seeking
finding losing winning falling all
who know the struggle all who limp
their way into the water all of
you stand together on this day to
enter into a covenant
with the lord
your god
(Deuteronomy 29:9-14)
Must Listen for High Holidays: Galeet Darsahsti
Posted: September 10, 2012 Filed under: High Holidays, Holidays, Iran, Judaism, Music 2 Comments »Check out the latest musical offering of Persian Jewish singer Galeet Dardashti – a taste of her new live performance, Monajat.
From her website:
Monajat is inspired by the poetic prayers of Selihot, recited during the month preceding Jewish New Year. It is a time-specific concert and program that takes place during a period of deep reflection and spiritual preparation. In the project, she re-imagines the Selihot ritual in collaboration with an acclaimed ensemble of musicians, an electronic soundscape, and dynamic live video art. Monajat is a Persian word meaning an intimate dialogue with the Divine. Using Persian melodies and Hebrew texts, the work pays homage to her grandfather (Yona Dardashti, the most renowned singer of Persian classical music in Iran in his day). She performs some of the Persian piyutim (liturgical songs) traditionally chanted as part of the Selihot service, as well as other liturgical and non-liturgical Hebrew and Persian poetry set to new music. Through electronics, she defies time and performs with her grandfather.
Dardashti’s Persian-Jewish musical hybrid is nothing short of sublime. If you’re tempted by this preview, check out her album “The Naming,” in which sets her unique musical sights on stories of Biblical women.
the second day of creation
Posted: October 15, 2012 | Author: Rabbi Brant Rosen | Filed under: Bereshit, Bible, Judaism, Poetry, Religion, Torah Commentary | Leave a comment »then dark waters gushed forth
across the face of the deep god
drove back their raging and
destroyed the great sea monsters
leaving their remains to feed
the creatures that
scavenge the bottoms of
of the deep the tempest now
exploding god wrestled
the waters of chaos behind
the floodgates of the
heavens saying you may come
this far and no farther
here your surging
waves will
stop
god looked at the expanse
that separated the waters
below from the waters above
and called the expanse
sky
and there was evening
and there was morning
a second day
(Genesis 1:6-8, Psalm 74:13-14, Job 38:8-11)