Behaalotecha, בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ.  "When You Raise".   Numbers 8:1-12:16

With Hyssop

Poetic notes for the parashat Behaalotecha*

In an appointed time

the beloved children of Israel,

by number and by name, 

went down into Egypt

In its appointed time

Israel’s exodus from Egypt

and its passover sacrifice 

were above all things,

are above all things

And at its second appointed time 

it is above all things again

Let Rabbi Hillel be your Nasi

He said, the Passover sacrifice,

like the Daily Sacrifice,

speaks of a Sabbath above all Sabbaths

When you recline by the river of life,

you will remember with thanksgiving

all the laws of the Passover

The lips of the people of the dead body 

will be touched by the water

Their heart will be moved and they will remember

It will be the appointed time

for those who could not partake of the Passover lamb

to partake

Those who came last will be first

They will speak to the community

They will perfect the seder of the entire community

Each person will know 

their own soul’s potential

They will know that their soul is the key

that fits the lock of all

to which they are attached,

unlocking all the sparks that can serve God

The lamb will not be too small for the household

But the household may be too small for the lamb

For this reason, 

Jacob elevated his love for Rachel

to the level of his love for Leah

He saw Rachel and loved her

as Adam loved Eve,

as Abram loved Sarai 

But he loved Leah

as Abraham loved Sarah

Then Jacob perfected his love for Rachel,

as all Israel would perfect the Passover

with the Second Passover

And HaShem blessed Rachel with Joseph,

and not only with Joseph,

but also with Benjamin

Adam was enslaved by a lust for freedom

But Joseph, though he was a slave

desired only to see Benjamin again

When Israel developed into seventy souls

the seventy nations, 

clamouring in Egypt’s gleaming eye,

took Joseph into captivity

But the Foundation of Joseph

took captivity captive,

sitting Adam down below in the lowlands,

at the foot of the Torah Mountain,

and taught Adam what it was to be free

Knesset Israel will slaughter the lamb in the afternoon

The Temple will not be too large for Knesset Israel

But Knesset Israel may be too large for the Temple

If so, let them come in as camps,

like a seven branched menorah,

three branches to the left and three to the right,

with one Tzaddik in the middle

With hyssop and lamb’s blood

the household will be made one

Many attributes of Divine Service

will form one body

Now’a’days, however,

the tree lies on its side

Roots and branches have intermingled

The nation has become inorganic

An individual is born or misborn

The soul has exited Egypt but not the wilderness

But if not now, when?

The redemption of Israel

is the salvation of the whole creation

Without the salvation of the whole creation

David's child is not saved

For there is no king without a kingdom,

no flame of light without a lamp wick burning

You cannot ignore the lost soul

You must return it to its owner

A warning to the enterprising hand:

Do not exploit the lost soul if you have found it

and cannot find its owner

Rather, take care of it until Elijah comes

The soul’s garment

is not like the body’s garment,

but love even the suicidal person as yourself

The soul of the nation is her anointed ruler

What love can measure the heart of a true king?

The king of Israel raises her up from the north country

with a brush of hyssop

and redeems her from the ends of the earth

He makes the blind to see with love,

and the lame to be warriors of faith

Israel gives birth to hope in every land

She is gathered up from there to one land

Her honour and glory magnify his love

World of prayer without end, Amen

Holy love,

may it come to me

Holy love,

may it freely be in all the earth

And May it sanctify this hour of dust and wilderness

and shepherd us in footsteps of repentance

Today, if we will hear his voice