Beshalach / Running and Returning
Running And Returning
The encircling square of Sabbath ringing
The steps of Elisha's horse resounding
The techumª like a chariot at rest
The Sabbath range
Like Her wings spanning
Her holy angels running and returning
Her unseen arms gathering you in
You don’t go out from her
You don’t send her out
Not on the seventh day
This time you don’t send her away
The sabbath is above
See! Her techum is descending
Resting on the desert camp below
Your hope is filled with joy
Your feet dance with grace and peace
Inside of Sabbath your steps rest
Why would you wander?
Where is she? Where is Her place?
Where are Her limits?
Moses knows
Do not offend her personal boundaries
Rest with her awhile in the desert
Soon you must forever
settle with her in cities
How does the Sabbath enter the Land?
The faithful students of Moses know
How long until the land is Sabbath?
The once and future Sabbath fills creation
There is no Sabbath but Israel's Sabbath
The Sabbath of the desert
Has settled upon the city
This is the promise of Jerusalem
When you won’t take a step
across the Sabbath boundaries of the city
It is because she is there
On those days that you do step out
she still is there concealed
On weekdays you journey out
Like one who goes backwards in time
You go back into the week
She accompanies you to the gate
She waits for you there
For you to come back to her
You descend into Egypt
And then come back to her
With Moses, seal the waters
Use the staff of the Sabbath ways
Find faith in Moses
Seal the profane beneath the waters
and faith in HaShem above the waters
There is no ascent
Without a decent first
This is the covenant
The camp of the Sabbath
Rested over those who returned
Then she moved to rest upon the settlers
Now she rests
On the settlements of the exiled
On day six or one or in between
You may be driven out from her
But the way to the eighth day
The only way
Is to return again to her
To keep your rendezvous with her
Well inside the Settlement of the Seventh Day
Then from there go forward
Without ever leaving her again
Nimrod was an ox
an incorrigible goring ox
Abraham disowned any part in him
He would not take with him
any part of Nimrod into the Future Land
In this way Abraham helped Shem
to put his house in order
This is the order of Melekizedek
The time of Israel's hinting
to the nations is over
For how long did she hint
that there is no way to life
except through the seventh day?
What gaze is not off limits on the Sabbath?
The gaze looking forward in faith
To that hour of the Sabbath
that is the eve of the eighth day
At that time the glory of the nations
will come to her in a flowing stream
From one Sabbath to another
From Adam’s Sabbath they departed
To Israel’s Sabbath they will return
With a heavy hand the nations
would not let Israel go
To keep the Sabbath
With the same hands
They will carry the children of Israel
and bring them to Jerusalem's Sabbath rest
There within the eternal Sabbath boundaries
All the earth will worship Adonai
All creation will walk
Through the Sabbath doors
And sing prayers of praise to Israel's God
ªtechum shabbat (Hebrew: תחום שבת, "Shabbat limit"), or simply techum, is a limited physical area in which a Jew is permitted to walk on foot on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
*Being a meditation on a Torah class on parashah Beshalach delivered by Rabbi Baitelman of ChaBaD Richmond, B.C., based on the series, Torah Studies, by Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Neither Rabbi Baitelman nor the JLI have reviewed or approved of the content of this post.