Dancing around the fire, heart aflame, my soul has wings.
I leap and twist,
The very earth rises along with me
to greater heights.
The Heavens are open,
angels peer through the crack
Jostling for a better view.
Vying for a chance to catch a glimpse of
this circle of broken souls,
Made whole by joined hands.
Souls intertwined
Oh, how they long to join us.
Oh, what they would give for the chance to
struggle and rise above.
We are the pinnacle of creation.
We who struggle,
We who fall,
We who find the strength to dust ourselves off
and begin our song yet again.
Tonight, the light of Reb Shimon permeates existence.
Consuming all with its brilliance
Nothing can stand in its way.
From within every rock,
Hashem’s Light shines.
He is so close to us,
So very close.
R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!
All brokenness is a blessing in disguise,
All concealment, the greatest revelation.
It will be so good in the end,
So very good.
R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!
The flames dance ever higher
Illuminating the night,
Creation is thawing, our icy hearts have melted
Jews overcome with the simple joy of their Jewishness
Light, warmth, and joy.
R’ Shimon! The heiliger Reb Shimon!
And my eyes turn Heavenward
To the infinite Father Who loves me
In an infinite way.
And I whisper to Him how thankful I am
That I am of those who know Lag Ba’omer
Not merely as the day upon which
R’ Akiva’s students stopped
to die,
But rather as the day of
R’ Shimon, the heiliger Reb Shimon,
Whose teachings bring my world
to life.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 35 Lag Ba’omer Edition.
