Havdalah’s Changing Times

I love the Shabbat Jewish style – “He makes me down to lie...”
Starts out the day with candle bright, week ending with a sigh;
The week had started, lingering, sweet memories of taste
Three days with me, till shifting to “Ah rest! Can hardly wait!”

Rich treasury of Psalms, and prayers, and blessing of the kids;
What meals there’s been on looking back – to which the future bids
Me move ahead with open arms, embrace this day with care –
Be open to its rich resource, and for its rest prepare.

Then worship – home and synagogue – sharp minds which stretch my brain,
And move my soul to reach for goals, not drift along the same;
Community and heritage; the Shofar’s freedom blast;
The mystery of faithful hearts, in present as in past.

Of sex, and wine, grand-munchkin kids, with games and laughing song,
Which feed our souls and make us whole – Shalom for which we long:
The saggy times, like when our rope goes slack while being towed,
Then snaps to taughtness when we ‘get’ some mentor’s word he’s sowed.

And then it comes – reluctantly – Havdalah marks the end;
With setting sun – day's just begun – now candle’s twisted blend!
But that’s the part I love the most – with David’s precious Psalm:
“I to the hills lift up my eyes”, for Shabbat’s made me strong.

I love the way Havdalah ends the day, and starts the week
With rest! Some more! For night has come, we’re heading off to sleep!
Sure, Shabbat ends, but here we are, still carried forward to
“Three days behind; three days ahead” with precious work to do.

But then there comes Havdalah there – when work is truly done;
Three days and three quite different now – will victories be won?
For now the challenge coming up is one of being ‘me’
When busyness shifts focus, and the task is hard to see.

But here is where Havdalah helps – it ends what came before,
With promise we can leave behind a time which we adore,
And face our future hours and days assured that He will keep
Our going out and coming in throughout the coming week.

For Jews the threshold marks a place of special sanctity;
We pass it coming in or out, but sometimes it can be
A dreadful, special, scary place – to marriage, war, we pass;
It’s there King David’s precious words speak to our hearts at last –

“He will not slumber, nor will sleep, who cares for you, my friend;
Your going out and coming in, your ways he will defend;
Nor sun by day, nor moon by night, will strike you on your way...”
Havdalah marks, just like before, both end and start of day.

Thanks, Louis.

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