Preserve the memory of your loved one with a plaque on our Yahrzeit Wall. Learn More ->

Search
Close this search box.

Yitro: Six Days After Colleyville

I write these words
Six days after Colleyville
When a man was invited
Into a synagogue for warmth
And a cup of tea.
When during the silence of prayer,
The click of a gun was heard.

On the New Year of the Trees,
With nourishment being drawn up,
Grounded, on this earth,
Deep within the potential
Of what ultimate fruits
Will be harvested,
Comes a cry, 
All cries, undifferentiated.

The shofar cracked open creation
For all of Israel
At the foot of the mountain
And across the expanse of Olam.

The people,
Held for a moment,
Suspended in the silence of Aleph,
With all barriers broken,
Physical restraints
Of body and of blood and of bone
Set aside through shock
And because of fear.

Take that fear, Israel,
And what threatens to shatter;
Choose to use it as a Blessing,
As an Opening,
An Opening into the awareness
That we are all ever held
Within the Matrix of the Holy Blessed One.

A Midianite Priest,
A “stranger” named Yitro,
Came to teach Moshe
That Moshe could not,
That we cannot,
Do this life
On our own.
Facebook
Email

Honor the memory of your loved one with a donation to support Ritualwell

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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

The Reconstructionist Network

Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Join the Ritualwell community to read and discuss examples of hope expressed in writing through song, story, humor and metaphor that will stir you to think about where hope lives within you.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Get the latest from Ritualwell

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

The Reconstructionist Network