Full disclosure....I wrote this poem on Leviticus 24:2, on the eternal light, and it is only now, as I am finalizing the draft, that I realize that the reference to the eternal light appears first in the book of Exodus, in Exodus 27:20-21.
My original thought about this poem regarded synagogues and the Ner Tamid, its positioning in the building, how it was placed there and how it is sometimes overlooked over time because it is always there and we often forget to see what is always in front of our eyes. So, this poem is about the small light, the eternal light, what it means and how it is seen.
The Light
I wonder
about that one small light;
the eternal light.
A tiny flicker
burning both inward and outward.
A burning bush in miniature
there for us
to notice
its beckoning glow.
I wonder about that one small light,
that eternal light
of hope,
of belief in something better.
Did my father see it
wavering through the trees
when he hid
in that dark and cold forest?
Did they see it in the campfires
as they sought to flee
from
those who had forgotten all about light?
I wonder about those who perished
Al Kiddush HaShem
So many, like the thousands of sparks that
escape the conflagration
and float up to nothingness.
Such devotion
with a fire that burned within them.
Did they see
one small light
up above
as they closed their eyes
one final time?
Did it guide them
to a light,
larger and brighter
than a thousand suns,
now that they had completed
the ultimate sacrifice ?
I wonder if a small quivering light
is seen by those who have lost hope
Is there A Guide for them to locate it,
for it is right there?
It must be
either to the left
or to the right.
Don't stop searching.
I wonder what we see when we look inward?
Can we find the light within us?
Do we seek the light or does it seek us?
Can we brighten it with our thoughts
or dim it with our doubts?
I wonder what others see in that small light
never changing,
or always changing....
burning calm and still.
Painters and loners,
gleaners and chefs,
aunts and nephews,
freedom fighters and tax collectors,
senators and artists,
poor and rich?
The person buying a lottery ticket,
the man pumping gas,
the girl through the window on the train?
The blind,
the beautiful,
the maimed,
the farmer,
the toddler,
your best friend,
the asylum seeker?
And you, of course.
What is your light?
Do you see?
Where?
Is it a flickering candle
or is a blazing fire?
Or is it the
light in your eyes
reflected onto others
that helps to light their way?
Keep looking for the light.
Never give up.
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
יהוה spoke to Moses, saying:
צַ֞ו אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃
Command the Israelite people to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly.
Leviticus 24:2