Thirst
Another morning and I wake with thirst
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the
hour and the bell; grant me, in your
mercy, a little more time. Love for the
earth and love for you are having such a
long conversation in my heart. Who
knows what will finally happen or
where I will be sent, yet already I have
Avoiding the Mud
Reb Meir of Premishlan and Reb Yisrael of Ruzhin were the best of friends, yet no two people could be more different. Reb Meir lived in great poverty. He never allowed even a penny to spend the night in his house but would rush outside to give it to the poor. Reb Yisrael, on the other hand, lived like a king.
These two friends once met as each was preparing to take a journey. Reb Meir was sitting on a simple cart drawn by one scrawny horse. Reb Yisrael was housed in a rich lacquered coach pulled by four powerful stallions.
Discovery
No one ever told me the coming of the Messiah
Could be an inward thing;
No one ever told me a change of heart
Might be as quiet as new-fallen snow.
No one ever told me that redemption
Was as simple as springtime and as wonderful
As birds returning after a long winter,
Rose-breasted grosbeaks singing in the swaying branches
Of a newly budded tree.
No one ever told me that salvation
Might be like a fresh spring wind
If you live with fear, you will make choices based on what you want to avoid. Those who live in a world of fear do not even believe that the world of honor and trust exists. If you live with fairness, you will choose based on what you want to get. Those who live in a world of fairness may see that others live differently, but they either do not believe it can be better for them or they do not know how to get into that world. If you live with honor, your choices are based on what you value most. You know that you can do more with others than you can alone.
from The Pool
When I was young, in my best years,
first blessed by the Shechinah,
still knowing dumb longing and wonder
and how to find a secret prayer place,
I used to take off on a hot summer's day
to the grand kingdom of peace -
the thick of the forest.
I wandered hours alone on a track
known only to wolf and brave hunter
through God-like trees
where no sound of axe was ever heard,
meditating on myself and my God till I came,
passing over traps of gold,
to the holy of holies -
