Pekudei, פְקוּדֵי   Accountings   Exodus 38:21-40:38

Mashiach's Beard

Poetic notes on parashat Pekudei (5782)*

Mashiach wears 

the children of Israel on his chest, 

like twelve ornamental stones 

against his heart

Two braids of gold 

bring the children of Israel an anointing,

flowing from the beard of Mashiach

Encircling them all are two rings of gold, 

like two heartfelt tablets of Torah,

straightening the spine of their faith,

like Moses did,

and raising their eyes to him,

even to the sky-blue wool of heaven

May the Moses of the generation

immerse us in hope!  As it is written,

I will lift up my eyes  to the hills…

These are the hills with the stony heart,

because they drove away the children of Israel 

from their holy sides

The hills of Judah became hills with a stony heart, 

a heart so broken and stretched and distorted

that no one could recognize it 

They could not find  it any longer

The nations round about you,

oh hills of Judah,

lusted to see you possessed

and occupied by other nations

They joked and gossiped about you

in every language of the earth

But none of them could grasp and hold you

Because they could not find your heart

For it was stretched out to your children, 

to the furthest edges of the earth

It was stretched out into all lands

It pulsed in secret,

its beating like sobbing for its cast out children

From whence comes my help?

My help comes from HaShem, 

the Maker of heaven and earth 

You will give the hills of Judah a heart of flesh,

even the Mishkan that was buried

HaShem will raise up Judah’s heart again,

as a new heart of flesh,

a new Temple, a new Jerusalem!

The nations will come cringing to you,

Oh Mount Zion,

hoping to find a place in your heart

A thread of blue-violet ties Mashiach 

and the children of Israel together, 

heart to heart like the  blue tzitzit thread 

that ties together heaven and earth  

Bells ring with the sound 

of the beauty that is coming

in waves of salvation around the world, 

announcing Mashiach’s arrival, 

the sound of a garment’s ringing,

that only the children of Israel can hear

Their hearts race quietly, 

anticipating the moment 

that all the nations will hear his voice roar

Thus was finished 

all the construction of the Holy Dwelling, 

the  Holy Body of Appointment, 

a testimony to God’s name,

the completed House of the heart of Israel’s love

for the Eternal One, blessed be he

The Children of Israel made it

exactly as HaShem had commanded Moses

They made it exactly 

according to the Torah of Moses  

You shall take the anointing oil and 

anoint the Tabernacle 

and all that is in it to consecrate it

and all its furnishings, 

so that it shall be holy

Take the anointing oil of heaven 

and anoint the Body of Israel

Anoint the Assembly of eternal redemption,

the crowding young chicks of the bird’s nest  

They set an enclosure around the nation of Israel  

And put up a screen 

and the nations were able to enter 

only by invitation 

They could stay only by legal adoption  

Pray that it should rain

Pray that the anointing oil of heaven 

rains from the beard of Mashiach 

upon the Body of Israel 

He drew a circle

The circle began to orbit itself,

joining each and every prayer with every other

“I will not move from here

Until You have mercy on your children!”

Rain began to drip down...

Rain began to barrel down...

Then rain began to flow evenly upon Israel,

with the streamlets of heaven’s eternal life,

and the four winds carried the overflow to the nations

When we say to our Creator,

“This is not what I asked for,”

what did we ask for? Do we know?

How should Israel enter the Land of Rest?

The Land anointed with the dew of heaven?

Israel’s Father knows 

He knows the true answer, 

the best answer of kindness

What if Israel had entered the land 

in faith with Moses?

“Cause the scion of David, 

your servant, to speedily flourish...

We hope for Your salvation all the day.

How much longer?”

Israel is your child, indulge her behaviour!

Raise her to the age of her beauty

Oh God, Father of Israel,

We only exist to you

Why then should we pray

that you indulge us like a little child?

Nevertheless, indulge us!

Hear our prayer 

Let your rain fall gently and firmly

Because we exist only to You, we exist

Let your Spirit go with us

as we enter the day