Contribute a translation | Source (English) |
---|---|
|
The Phylacteries
|
|
In love of lawful liberty,
My head and arm I bind with glee, With holy phylacteries, to tell That slavery lost her snaky spell. |
|
For freedom is a heavenly creed
Which all the centuries will heed. Freedom from kings and masters proud,— From tyrannies of court and crowd.— |
|
Behold the leathern straps and case
With which my hand and arm I lace— The case contains a parchment writ With words which hearts and planets knit. |
|
The words are rays of Honor’s sun;
God’s mandates which civilization won And which will bring, with song, the good And long-awaited brotherhood. |
|
And so, I deck my hand and arm
With T’filin as we don a charm. With hints of God before my eyes, I rise through prayer to higher skies. |
|
The Bible texts tucked in within
The case, are often shields from sin; Reminders they to straying man That Heaven is watching all we plan. |
|
The verses, which our love increase,
Are amulets for human peace. As trains need rails, as birds need wings, So man needs law, a law that sings. |
|
Oh, Ceremonies, thoughts which live,
Dynamic life to dreams you give. You are live history anew; We live what we believe through you. |
|
Before my bread, my God I need.
My faith is life, and life my creed. |
The poem “The Phylacteries” can be found in Alter Abelson’s collection of poetry, Sambatyon and other Poems, vol. 1 (New York: Ariel Publications, 1931), p. 149.
Source(s)

“The Phylacteries, a poem by Rabbi Alter Abelson (1931)” is shared by the contributors with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
PDF (or Print) |
Comments, Corrections, and Queries