'In my distress I called upon the Lord'

In my distress I called upon the Lord; I cried to my God for help. He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for His help reached His ears. (Psalms 18:6)

Early morning. White clouds of a dream swirl with the gray of night’s lingering darkness. And I find myself listening to the sound of birds singing. All is dark, all is quiet. And yet, there they are. Softly and persistently.

Their song blends into an enveloping dream. In the silence of dawn’s awakening I hear their voices cheerfully proclaiming morning’s praise. At odds with and yet at one with the surrounding gloom.

In the distance, I hear the whir of cars. They are going quickly, somewhere. In my mind I hear the words of my father(z”l), a Holocaust survivor, always “looking towards a brighter future”.

Is this where are they going, now? Is this the direction toward which we are heading? In our days of distress, sunshine is viewed through a mist of tears. Despair threatens to blur our paths with clouds of confusion and hopelessness.

But now, it is almost the end of Passover. And the song of birds may be heard in the darkness. I cannot discern whether it is nighttime still, or perhaps daybreak. But I hear the sound of their insistent singing, the song of life.

Is this not the voice we so long now to hear? A simple song of peace, of serenity, of hope. At once at odds with and yet occurring within the world in which we find ourselves today. And yet…who knows?

As in a dream, or is this a dream, I find myself in Jerusalem, my steps leading toward the Kotel. Here, the doves have made their home among the Kotel’s stones. They are soaring now toward Heaven, bringing with them a message, a prayer. I close my eyes, and listen to their call.

There is a yearning for peace, for tranquility, for an end to the tension of the past months. A hope, a prayer is in our hearts, and refuses to be silent. Listening intently, I hear a hint of the fluttering of wings of redemption

I open my eyes. The room is surrounded in darkness, unmistakably. And yet, there is a glimmer of light. A glow which refuses to be extinguished. Morning’s dawning will resonate with a call for light, for healing, for life.

It will soon be the end of Passover. The festival of freedom.

On this holiday, the Angel of Death passed over the houses of the Israelites during the plague sent upon Egypt. May this angel pass over our homes once again.

On this holiday, we were freed to become God’s Nation. This year, may we be freed once again from captivity and tragedy.

Passover is known as the Festival of Matzot, the matzot we prepared in anticipation of our redemption. We once again anticipate our redemption.

“Who knows One?” We asked at the conclusion of the Passover Seder.

“One is our God in Heaven and on Earth” (Passover Haggadah).

Oneness is within, and yet at the same time without. Oneness is both individuality, and our common bond and fate as a Nation.

“Even in the concealment that is within the concealment, certainly He of the Blessed Name is also found there. I stand with you, even through the difficult times that befall you” (Rabbi Nachman of Breslov).

As we complete this Passover, may the bondage of today’s dark reality of torment be lifted, and we as a people be blessed to return to a life of freedom and peace.

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink the wild air” - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

These words sound today so enchanting and elusive, so miraculous. So disconnected from our current reality which holds us in uncertainty. Will we return one day to mere happiness and gratitude for life’s blessings? To the ability to enjoy the simple joys of the life which surrounds us?

May this Festival of Freedom have hastened the arrival of that day.

We pray for the speedy and merciful return of our hostages and soldiers, the return of our nation to security and safety and unity.

“How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your Wings” (Psalms 36:7).

May we be blessed with a return to serenity, to Life.