Lech Lecha - 5784

SET LIST LECH LECHA

THE POETRY OF GOING SO DEEP INSIDE THAT I DISCOVER WHO I REALLY AM



FIRST FIND OUT WHO I REALLY AM

In order to truly understand what it means to be an Abraham, who single-handedly takes on and liberates the entire world, we need to first focus on his inner dynamics...ie...what truly made him tick! Rabbi Kalonymous Kalman Shapirah, the Warsaw ghetto Rebbe, opens up for us a window to understand these inner dynamics. He explains the first verse of our Parsha in this way; 'And Hashem said to Avram, LECH LECHA--Go inside of yourself [ie...seek to reveal the essence of your being] BY DETACHING YOURSELF from seeing your self identity as being connected to your land, your birthplace, your father's house...' G-d instructed Abram, in order to be an Ivri and stand up to humanity for all time] to discover his essence by looking at his own identity totally divorced from the elements that most people use to define other people---etc...their nationality, religion, job, family, status etc...etc...Rather, start without any preconceived notions and go deeply into yourself….some poetry for you to try to capture this essential idea….



Dear diggers into the depths of your being….take note of all that you are constantly see…..don't let anything escape your full attention and your deepest seeing…..because deep inside there resides the I will be and the I was and the I am----and that's the place that they're giving away free tickets to the promised land ….try to find the Sarah and the Abraham inside of each of you----cosmic paternality and maternality coming through-------leading us to see and be

seen by the progenitor of all Creation----a situation ----that you just can't pass up on ---and there deep inside our own Holy Land----He shows me who I am ---and uncovers the whole plan and He is constantly showing me---and all I have to do is to just keep on seeing and keep on going …keep on going and trust my inner knowing that with all of life's tribulations ---I will be constantly growing ---and ultimately be asked to show my knowings to all those who are thirsty –like me-----and I'm praying and hoping thatat least some of this poetry can show you and me who we are and who we can ultimately be







A NEW WAY OF SEEING



***''you never know''---she urged

''why don't you go and give it a try''

"I don't know-''---he countered-- it's just not my style I'll just stay here for a while"

the longing in his heart was usually barely notice-able

but today she had triggered something that refused to go away

"Where did you say that this event is supposed to take place?"—

he asked in a by the way kind of a way



***she told where and when

and sent him off with a kiss and a smile

and he set out with an excitement

that he hadn't felt for quite a while

when he arrived -- the first thing that he heard

was the way this man was saying his words

and the way that he was gazing

at all those who came

he couldn't take his eyes off of him

and for some mysterious reason

from that day and on he's never been the same...

Was it his words? Was it his face?

Was it the atmosphere that permeated that place?





***none of these and nothing else can adequately explain

the change that came over him that day

all he knew was that from that day on ---the World shined with a new kind of light

all that he experienced all the rest of the days of his life

were drawn from a wellspring so deep inside

that he was able taste a bit of that Hidden Light

what a wondrous sight







''.......TO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU....''



***The Land ,

like a lover

will only reveal her essence

will only share her love

her wisdom

her beauty

herself

if you enter her domain

with eyes closed

with pure belief

with no agenda of your own

without even knowing who you are

with a willingness to be rediscovered

with a desire to be uncovered



***and the greatest of our saints and sages

knew this secret and unlearned all they knew before

and came to the Land like a brand new human being

virgin seeing of life's wonders

for the first time



***and the Patriarch was not told where he was being led

and with sublime trust

he was shown not only the Holy Land,

but also he was shown that the Holy Land

is the sacred place

where The Holy One

shows Himself and His guidance

to the humble ones at all times

















KEEP GOING



***and the one who lived on the other side

the one who discovered the mysteries of life

with every new step he took on his amazing ride

he was told by The One Above

go forth go forth

and from this he understood

that the key to all that is right and good

is to keep going





***when you hit a wall

and it seems like you've done all that you can do

just tell yourself that you're not through

because life is a never ending

potpourri of opportunity

so listen to me my dear friend

and keep on going





*and yesterday's challenges

are only a memory

and today's beckonings

are constantly new

and exclusively sent for you

so all you've got to do

is to keep on going



** *and the voice of despair

spreads it's fangs everywhere

and really doesn't care

who gets in it's way

and the only thing

I can say to avoid it's nasty stare

is to just keep on going



***keep on going

and you will be shown

sights and sounds

and dimensions and intentions

that you wouldn't ever have dreamed

to be true

and all you have to do is to keep on going



SHE TAUGHT HIM HOW TO SEE

*she opened up his sight
and taught him;

; *how to look
with wide opened eyes
at nature's landscapes

*and how to notice
the mysteries of love's subtleties

*and how to hear clearly
the inner messages
coming to him all the time

*and how to catch
people's true intentions
that are expressed in between the lines

*and how to see
the magnificence of the stars
in the endless night sky

*and how to feel
the unnoticed love
that so many people share

*and how to perceive
the divine
providential hints and messages
that are garbed
in rare bouquets
of beauty everywhere























WHEN YOU GO INTO YOURSELF



***When you go into yourself

When you leave everything else alone

And focus your full attention

On coming back home

To the true you

When that's all that you do

That's when you will find

That there is a spark of endless light
waiting to be discovered
in it's camouflaged state
not yet allowed to participate
in the celebration
of it's ultimate elevation





***It's been hiding for thousands of years
in the masquerade party
of life's nondescript anonymity
blind to it's ultimate destiny
unaware of the beauty
that will be on display
for all to see



***And when we walk this earth
with a true grasp of what it' s worth
with a vision
of what will soon be known
with a passion
that won't leave us alone























SOME POEMS ABOUT THE ART OF EXTRAORDINARY LIVING

[**Avraham and Sarah and company taught us that our destiny is to be an extraordinary people---above nature---above the stars ----above time and space---above the boundaries that limit the rest of the human race---including all areas of the human experience—fertility, child rearing, money-making and so much more----this next group of poems seek to illuminate this vital realm**]



Dear devotees of the extraordinary….inheritors of the patriarchal and matriarchal defiance of what is natural---of what everyone else is doing -----of what is the common parlance----rise up you Hebrew rebels ----you relentless seekers of the art of being truly alive …constant knockers on the doors of the beyond ….genuine and radical individuals rising up proudly from the sea of conformity….seers of profundity in all that you encounter……. experiencers of the confluence of the profound lights that shine deep within those people who decorate life's scenery….let the poetry transport you into the land of the extra-ordinary

ANOMALY

**she felt like no one could possibly understand

someone as strange as her

he tried to tell her

that we're all kind of strange

she told him

''no I am an anomaly ---the kind of thing

that comes along once in a century or more''

so he walked out her door

and started to contemplate

''what are we all here for?

just to be another he and she

like all the other he-s and she-s

and nothing more?!''

so he walked back

in her door with a giant smile

on his face and she asked him

''what are you smilng like that for ?''

**''Anomalies; he said, you and me and maybe everyone else

once they realize and stop telling themselves lies

and just like a snowflake boldly claims

that no two are alike

G-d wants our differences

to shine

so-- she matched his giant smile

and told him , "hey --it's about time

you realized this undeniable truth about life"

**and from that day on

they walked together hand in hand

--only now –

they never make plans

without first coming

to their senses and realizing that

Viva La Difference will be their guiding light

every day and every night







ABOVE THE STARS



*take a peek above the stars

beyond the cause and effect

that has been holding you down



*take a peek above the stars

beyond the limitations

that have accompanied

you all these years



*take a peek above the stars

beyond the habits

that have enslaved you

in your life

*take a peek above the stars

beyond the struggles

that have strangled

your deeper intuitive self

from expressing itself



*take a peek above the stars

beyond condemnations

that you have been falsely accused of

horribly abused by



*take a peek above the stars

beyond the small mindedness

the cursed blindness

that has plagued your journey



*take a peek above the stars

beyond the fate that you thought

awaits people like you

it just isn't true



*take a peek above the stars

beyond nature

step into the super-natural

let that be your new natural



*take a peek above the stars

beyond your impotency

and like the Patriarch of old

who gave birth to a nation

you too in your new place

above the stars

can infinitely empower all that you do and all that you are







RISING UP FROM A SEA OF CONFORMITY

****rising up from a sea of conformity

because he knew deep inside that this just cannot be

*****intrepid unflinching undaunted the bold ,

audacious rumblings the transcendence of the incessant tumblings

of a fearless man with a fearless plan

daring the dawn to show his timid face to the new day

that's the the way to light up the skyline

it works every time

*****and the day when it finally emanated

it's full power of light

and it's full dose

of relentless heat was livid

vividly furious soberingly serious

in protest of the man who dared to interfere

in the way we do things around here

*****until the day heard a distant voice

an angelic chorus clearly say to the confused day

that there is no other way

at the centre of the chain of command

there sits on the throne

the fearless man

the one who has a fearless plan

because nothing can stand in the way

of the fearless man with the fearless plan

EXTRA-ORDINARY

****let’s learn how to live in an extraordinary way….

***let’s reach out beyond our present levels—

beyond what the world considers standard or normal

or in the stream of things—into a level of the Beyond…..

***let’s learn how to fuse ourselves with G-d 24/7….

***let’s learn how to see and live life

like Abraham and Sarah did,

and dare to live

according to our values,

even when we find ourselves

alone in the world….

***let’s learn how to think with our Soul

and not just with our mind…..

***let’s learn how to co-create and manifest miracles in our lives as much as possible….

***let’s learn how to receive Divine answers at will….

***let’s learn how to grow to the limits of our own potentials and beyond…

***let’s learn how to make the impossible become possible…

***let’s learn how to defy nature and live in a super-natural way







POETRY OF BIBLE STORIES AND OTHER SUCH AWARENESSES DEEP INSIDE OF US



Dear children of the ancient stories…..scions of endless glory…..let me whisper into your collective subconscious ears—the stories of old---the stories that have been told millions of times---but never grow old---because they speak of our ever –new challenges that we must face—and those challenges never go away until that promised day---- ---they are the spectacles we wear---with which we measure ourselves on a moral and emotional and spiritual compass-------they reflect our very lives back to us—--in a very personal-but very collective consciousness kind of way ---- they provide the keys to allow us to see all of our challenges with the same eyes that our matriarchs and patriarchs have seen them before us ---------and they benevolently have paved for us ---a way to get to get by---a way to look deep inside and believe that the Hebrew one inside of us ---who resides on the other side of life -----can come through for us ---again and again------- ----and with tears of joy in our eyes---we are handed the steering wheel of life---and we drive down the avenue of eternal life ----making a right and left here and there-----just to keep ourselves awake---for heaven's sake----don't let go of the wheel ---and maybe allow some of this poetry to steal your heart away



DEAR ABRAHAM AND SARAH



Dear Abraham and Sarah -----

my perenial and eternal parents

of endless love

you'll never let us down

and I feel you these days

all around me

I see you

in the Judean Hill sunsets

whispering to me

that this is truly the Promised Land

we have returned -- dear ones

to acquire it again





I feel you in the invincible overcomings

of the never ending parade

of trials and tribulations that come my way



I know you

in the inner courage and fortitude

that I beckon

in facing the impossible challenges

of the whole world

trying to swallow me up



I hear you softly reassuring me

that I need not take anything from anyone

because The One Above

will provide it all

with infinite love

WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE TO BE A PATRIARCH OR MATRIARCH?

[**Our Sages challenge us to ask ourselves--''when will my actions be like that of the Patriarchs?' ***]

**when you're thrust onto the stage

of life's biggest challenges

and you are becoming increasingly more aware

that the whole of humanity

is watching your every move

**that's when cosmic spot-lights

and apocalyptic movie cameras

focus in on you

to do what the world never before knew

that a human being could do

** and auras of lights and surreal sights

shine in the endless nights

of the exile

and it's you

who is escorting the whole milieu

into something totally new

**and you find yourself

in this sublime space

this holy place

designated since the beginning of time and space

reserved for the special few

**and you begin to see

it's all just the way

it was always meant to be

just allow it to be

it's been decreed

it's the universal Divine creed

it's the genesis of a new community

of a new sensibility

of a whole new way to be

a whole new way to see

















BIBLE STORIES



*Bible Stories

tales of heart and glory

the stories of our lives

captured through the eyes

of the One who spoke

and the world came into being



*Bible Stories

tales of good and evil

guiding us to do

what's right

our very own guiding light

filtered down from the Holy Words

of the Holy One Blessed be He



*Bible Stories

tales of all that happens

on the stage of life

allowing us to emulate

what is true and right

a sublime gift

from the Omnipotent One

whose Eyes

see all that was and will be





*Bible Stories

tales of salvation

for the persecuted ones

for the humble ones

and the lowly of spirit

paving a golden way

teaching us how to walk in His Ways

in living our lives from day to day

The Divine one's Name

reframed into Bible Stories









THE POETRY OF THE ONES ON THE OTHER SIDE



[**AVRAM THE ONE FROM THE OTHER SIDE

And the refugee came and told Avram the 'Ivri' [literally the Hebrew person]...' {Parsha Lech lecha ch. 14 verse 13}

The sages explain that the reason why Avram [Abraham's name before receiving an extra letter] is referred to as the 'Ivri' [from the Hebrew root meaning on the other side], is because the rest of mankind were on one side [of a world outlook] and Avraham was on the other side. We, the Hebrew\Ivri people have spiritually inherited from the Patriarch of our people, Abraham, the ability to stand up with confidence and humbleness to the entire world with this outlook ----- Sounds enticing, intriguing and impossible, right? I mean, just think about going contrary to the flow of your own family, and if you can do that, then try to imagine going up against your city, your country, the world!! It would probably demand of you to have steel fortitude, crystal-clear vision and incredible guts to stand up to the opposition. But that's who Abraham was, and so too by extension are we, his spiritual\genetic progeny! Here's some poetry seeking to fathom and give expression to this phenomenon**]

Dearest fellow children of the Matriarchal and Patriarchal vision…..dear brothers and sisters of the Messianic mission…….dear anomalies of divine / human fusion……dear historic victims of jealous nations' intrusions…….don't be afraid brave survivors….the time to show your glory is at hand…..just take a look at what goes on these days in the promised Land……..they can try to knock us down…they can try to kill our resolve…..but we will always bounce back when everybody counts us out…..and in the language that we speak and in the impossible challenges that we meet--------we prove it time and time again to all those--- ----who take pride when they think they've silenced our will to fight ------but then in the middle of the long dark night ---------we -re-appear on the other side …….and this nation stands alone ------- unlike any other nation you've ever known----and no one and no thing------ in the world of lies and deception---- has the slightest conception of just how deep it goes……..show them what you know--------you—who are the descendants of prophets and royalty….you------ who are the beneficiaries of scholars and divine loyalty----step up ---and take your rightful place ---above the stars----way up in Space-------and blind them all with your luminescent faces----and leave no trace of doubt that you are the real purpose of what this Creation is all about





















BE A GIVER IN A WORLD OF TAKERS





Be a giver in a world of takers

Be real in a world of fakers

Be your word in a world of liars

Be love in a world of haters

Be light in a world of darkness

Be hope in a world of despair

Be sight in a world of blindness

Be blessing in a world of curse

Be sanity in a world of insanity

Be song in a world of silence

Be poetry in a world of logic

Be compassion in a world of cruelty

Be Divine in a world of deniers



THE PATH OF THE CHOSEN FEW



** take me there

**show me where

**I don't care about anything else

**so please take me there



** light up my way now

**the path eludes me somehow

** show me the what and how

** so that I too can know

** how to light up my way



** the past holds every clue

** the future leads me into the new

**this path is only for those chosen few

** who knows if I belong

** only the One Above can provide me a clue





**take me back home

**back to where I come from

** to the place above the Sun

** bring me back

**back to the place of One







NO ONE ELSE



***The Patriarch composed a tractate

four hundred chapters of the deepest wisdom

the wisdom that penetrates to the core

that illuminates for all to see

the simple reality that there is no one else



***and the people of his time reasoned

that the forces that seem to be running the show

are meant to be worshipped and appeased

and pleased and praised

then everyone would get their way

but the wise one knew a very different way

that the One who creates night and day

is the only One

there is no one else


*** and the people of our time