Songs of Hope

“Standing on the parted shores of history,
We still believe what we were taught
Before ever we stood at Sinai’s foot:
                        That wherever we are, it is eternally Egypt
                        That there is a better place, a Promised Land:
                        That the winding way to that promise passes through the wilderness
That there is no way to get from here to there
Except by joining hands, marching together.”
                                                                                                Michael Walzer, “Exodus and Revolution”, 1992

There is a heaviness to the world today. Some of it, I realize, is because of the immediate proximity – we now have a front seat to see it all up close and personal. We hear the constant dinging and chirping compelling us to view pictures and videos on our cellphones. The pain and suffering of the world is now literally in our hands. Our brains and our nervous systems are not equipped to process it all. And we cannot respond to every disaster that we read about or watch on screens. Yet, part of being human is to understand both the wonder and awe of life, and also the fragility of freedom. In Pirke Avot 2:16 the rabbis teach “It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task, but neither are you free to absolve yourself from it.” We cannot carry everything. We can tend to our small corner of the world and know that in that space we can make a difference.

At the penultimate moment of the Exodus story, in the Torah portion Beshalach, which we just completed, God instructs Moses to “Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground.” (Ex. 14:26) The Israelites cross over on dry ground to freedom. They celebrate with song and dance, ever mindful of the 400 years of trauma that they have endured and cry out to Moses in worry and fear that this great redemption will not last. They are well aware that freedom is not guaranteed, and that continued struggle is a part of our story. Forty years of wandering later, in the battle against Amalek, Moses again holds out his arms, and the Israelites prevail. When Moses’ arms grow tired, his brother Aaron and his nephew Hur hold up the arms of Moses.

Moses’ success is not his alone, the story is the story of us, and what we can do together. Like Aaron and Hur, when we join hands with one another, when hold up the arms of our sisters and brothers, we unite in shared purpose. In times of stress and trauma we need to hold one another and stand together. In the midst of their trauma – witnessing the plagues, and leaving behind all that they knew, our ancestors still found bravery and courage to move forward, marching together. Trapped between the army and the sea, they had the courage and faith to wade all the way in, and to sing both songs of praise and songs of resistance, the songs of our people.

I have been listening to songs of hope and resistance that inspire me and give me strength and courage. Here are two (click the links to listen):

We Rise – Batya Levine ( Listen on YouTube)
We rise, humbly hearted
Rise, won’t be divided
Rise, with spirit to guide us
Rise!

In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here
In hope, in prayer, we’re right here (x2)

We rise, all of the children
Rise, elders with wisdom
Rise, ancestors surround us
Rise!

In hope, in prayer, we find ourselves here
In hope, in prayer, we’re right here (x2)

We rise, up from the wreckage
Rise, with tears and with courage
Rise, fighting for life
We rise!

Three Feet or So – Carrie Newcomer ( Listen on YouTube)
When I’m weary lost or sad
Overwhelmed or just fed up
I say grace for what I have
And most the time that is enough

We are body skin and bones
We’re all the loss we’ve ever known
What is gone is always near
We’re all the love that brought us here

And the things that have saved us
Are still here to save us
It’s not out there somewhere
It’s right here it’s right here

If I start by being kind
Love usually follows right behind
It nods its head and softly hums
Saying honey that’s the way it’s done

We don’t have to search for love
Wring our hands and wring our hearts
All we have to do is know
The love will find us in the dark

And the things that have saved us
Are still here to save us
It’s not out there somewhere
It’s right here it’s right here

I can’t change the whole world
But I can change the world I know
What’s within three feet or so

We are body skin and bones
We’re all the love we’ve ever known
When I don’t know what is right
I hold it up into the Light
Hold it up into the Light
Hold it up into the Light

L’shalom,
Rabbi Audrey S. Pollack

Filed under: Rabbi's Message

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