Posted December 17, 2007

Jewish Poetry warms a winter night and lights a Jewish soul

If you missed the poetry café this weekend, you missed a great event. Our members shared some wonderful limericks and doggerel.

The Book of Psalms, of course, is designed to help people speak to God. But, too few people bother to read it.  One obstacle, among several, is that our religious literature is extremely rich, and somewhat dense. Unless one has the time and desire to plow through, the material can’t easily be grasped and appreciated. (Think of reading Shakespeare’s plays without the use of modern English or explanatory notes. It’s a daunting task). But, I like the collection produced by Stephen Mitchell. His book, A Book of Psalms, presents David’s Psalms in felicitous style. Please read (out loud and slowly – if you can allow yourself the privilege) these lines from Psalm 93:

God acts within every moment

and creates the world with each breath.

He speaks from the center of the universe

In the silence beyond all thought.

Mightier than the crash of a thunderstorm,

Mightier than the roar of the sea,

Is God’s voice silently speaking

In the depths of the listening heart.

Don’t kid yourself. This short Psalm says a lot. In order to grasp its meaning, you must ponder what your lips have said, and your ears have heard. Take each phrase and review it in your mind. Read the Psalm to someone in your family. Then, discuss it. It should prove to be an enriching experience.

Jewish poetry isn’t limited to psalms. It’s a varied tapestry of cultural threads. Although we only scratched the surface of Jewish poetry and its possibilities, the café was an opportunity for us to deepen personal ties to our existing world-class literature, and express our own creative talent as a community.

Rabbi Seth J. Sternstein