Listen up, y'all — an interpretive rendering of v’haya im shamoa by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat
Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=57637
open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license date_src_start: 2024-08-21 date_src_end: 2024-08-21 languages_meta: [{"name":"English","code":"eng","standard":"ISO 639-3"}] scripts_meta: [{"name":"Latin","code":"Latn","standard":"ISO 15924"}] Date: 2024-08-21
Last Updated: 2025-04-11
Categories: the Shema
Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English vernacular prayer, interpretation as prayer, Midrashic interpretation, paraliturgical shema, Prayers as poems, והיה אם שמע v'haya im shemo'a
Excerpt: "Listen up, y'all: An interpretive rendering of V’haya im shamoa" by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat was originally published 1 February 2016 at her website, Velveteen Rabbi. There she provided the following description, "This is a creative rendering of the second paragraph of the shema, Deuteronomy 11:13-21. It was written for the service I'm leading this morning with Rabbi David [Evan Markus] at Rabbis Without Borders. (I offer deep thanks to David both for co-leading davvenen with me, and for reading an early draft of this poem and offering wise suggestions.)" . . .
Content:
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Source (English) |
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“Listen up, y’all,” says Shekhinah
who looks today like a teacher
in corduroy dress and sedate boots.
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“Let the smartphone rest a bit,
or learn how to hear My voice
coming through its speaker.
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Let your love for Me well up
like unexpected tears. Everyone serves
something: give your life to Me.
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Let the channel of your heart open
and My abundance will pour through.
But if you prefer profit, if you pretend —
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if you’re not real with Me
your life will feel hollow
and your heart be embittered.
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I won’t punish you; I won’t need to.
Your hollowness will be punishment enough,
and the world will suffer for it.
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So let My words twine around your arm,
and shine like a headlamp
between your eyes to light your way.
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Teach them to everyone you meet.
Write them at the end of your emails
and on your business cards.
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Then you’ll remember how to live
with the flow of all that is holy —
you’ll have heaven right here on earth.”
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“Listen up, y’all (An interpretive rendering of V’haya im shamoa)” by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat was originally published 1 February 2016 at her website, Velveteen Rabbi. There she provided the following description, “This is a creative rendering of the second paragraph of the shema, Deuteronomy 11:13-21. It was written for the service I’m leading this morning with Rabbi David [Evan Markus] at Rabbis Without Borders. (I offer deep thanks to David both for co-leading davvenen with me, and for reading an early draft of this poem and offering wise suggestions.)”
Contributor: Rachel Barenblat
Co-authors:
Featured Image:
Title: Catacombs Cave, Lightpainting (Daniel Parks, CC BY-NC)
Caption: Lightpainting (aka, jumping around with a headlamp) in Catacombs Cave, Lava Beds National Monument. A composite of several timer-assisted selfies. (credit: Daniel Parks, license: CC BY-NC)
