Hi All,
Miv (Ram) brought up the Jewish Passover in the discussion on freedom in the
moderated forum.
In my own web search for some new Passover material, I came across an impressive
poem by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who was mentioned in this forum some months
ago (I can't recall by whom).
The poem doesn't have anything specifically to do with freedom, nor with
Passover, but does have a lot to do with the individual and his relationship to
society, nature and existence as a whole.
(Source: http://www.igc.org/traubman/song.htm )
Enjoy
====The Song of Songs====
by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
former Chief Rabbi of Palestine
20th Century Kabbalist
There is one who sings the song of his soul,
discovering in his soul everything -- utter spiritual fulfillment.
There is one who sings the song of his people.
Emerging from the private circle of his soul -- not expansive enough,
not yet tranquil -- he strives for fierce heights, clinging to the entire
community of Israel in tender love...
Then there is one whose soul expands
until it extends beyond the border of Israel,
singing the song of humanity... his spirit spreads,
aspiring to the goal of humankind, envisioning its consummation...
Then there is one who expands even further
until he unites with all existence, with all creatures, with all worlds, singing
a song with them all.
There is one who ascends with all these songs
in unison -- the song of the soul, the song of the nation, the song of humanity,
the song of the cosmos -- resounding together, blending in harmony, circulating
the sap of life,
the sound of holy joy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>From THE ESSENTIAL KABBALAH: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism
by Daniel C. Matt, Ph.D., HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1995
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTES: Born in 1865, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook was the Chief Rabbi of Palestine
until his death in 1935. A brilliant scholar and mystic, he is remembered for
his ability to bring together battling religious and social factions, making
harmony out of seemingly irreconcilable differences. He has been called
"Shepherd of Jerusalem."
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