Like a Tree

Out of days of darkness
and profound despair,
I re-emerge to a wan sun,
to trees barren and bare. 

Yet, deep within, sap is rising;
a new cycle of life beginning.
Limpid buds linger in the bough
for the sun’s signal to unfurl
their foliage and confer
a plethora of flowers and fruit.

As at dawn, the first chirp
swells to a chorus of bird song,
so the players in the symphony
of the coming spring
enter the arena, one by one,
to enact Nature’s pageant.

On this New Year of Trees,
man, too, like a tree in the field,
quickens with insight and renewal
emulating the awakening earth.

כְּמוֹ עֵץ
 

מִתּוֹךְ יָמִים חֲשׁוּכִים
 וְיֵאוּשׁ אֵין סוֹפִי 
 פּוֹנָה אֲנִי שׁוּב אֶל שֶׁמֶשׁ חִוֶּרֶת
 וּמְגַלָּה עֵצִים עֲקָרִים עֲרוּמִים.
 
אוּלָם, עָמֹק בִּפְנִים הַלְּשַׁד עוֹלֶה
 מַחְזוֹרִיּוּת הַחַיִּים מִתְחַדֶּשֶׁת
 נִצָּנִים שְׁקוּפִים מִתְעַכְּבִים בְּעָנָף
 לְאוֹת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִפְרֹשׂ אֶת עֲלֵיהֶם
 לְהַעֲנִיק שֶׁפַע פְּרָחִים וּפֵרוֹת.
 
כְּצִיּוּץ הַשַּׁחַר הָרִאשׁוֹן
 הַמִּתְפַּתֵּחַ לְמַקְהֵלָה אַדִּירָה
 כָּךְ הַשַּׂחְקָנִים בְּסִימְפוֹנְיַת
 הָאָבִיב הַמִּתְקָרֵב
 נִכְנָסִים, אֶחָד-אֶחָד, לַזִּירָה
 לְהִשְׁתַּתֵּף בְּתַהֲלוּכַת הַטֶּבַע
 
 בָּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְאִילָנוֹת
 גַּם הָאָדָם, כְּמוֹ עֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה
 נִדְרַךְ בְּתוֹבָנָה וּבְהִתְחַדְּשׁוּת
בַּדּוֹמֶה לָאָרֶץ הַמִּתְעוֹרֶרֶת

Ritualwell content is available for free thanks to the generous support of readers like you! Please help us continue to offer meaningful content with a donation today. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Rituals

Shop Ritualwell - Discover unique Judaica products

The Reconstructionist Network

Learning to Say "We": Writing Identity

In this immersion, we will reflect and expand on our personal experiences of identity, using writing exercises and in-depth discussions to think about, challenge, discover, explore, and experiment with different ways to identify ourselves, to consider how those ways connect us to and separate us from others, and how they represent and misrepresent aspects of who we are.

Four sessions, starting June 15th

Get the latest from Ritualwell

Subscribe for the latest rituals, online learning opportunities, and unique Judaica finds from our store.