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Solomon Ibn Gabirol
A Jew raised in Muslim Spain
11th century
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Known to Jews
as a literary artist,
a liturgical poet
of wild imagination and skill
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Known to Muslims
as a philosopher
in the Neo-Platonic tradition,
able to put the subtlest metaphysical intuitions
into a single word
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Solomon Ibn Gabirol
Likely the author of Adon Olam
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You know Adon Olam,
The last song
of the Shabbat morning service
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ
בְּטֶֽרֶם כׇּל־יְצִיר נִבְרָא׃
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Adon Olam Asher Malakh
B’terem kol yetsir nivra
Adon Olam Asher Malakh
B’terem kol yetsir nivra
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And you know its peshat,
Its simple translation:
Master of the World Who Ruled
Before every thing was created
Master of the World Who Ruled
Before every thing was created
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But Ibn Gabirol
poet and philosopher
was not thinking peshat,
was not thinking simple
He was thinking deep
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ
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Adon Olam Asher Malakh
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אֲדוֹן
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Adon
From biblical Hebrew: Adanim
Joints
The Matrix that holds a structure together
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עוֹלָם
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Olam
Eternal in time
Infinite in space
Elusive
Hidden
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם
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Adon Olam —
The Hidden Matrix that holds reality together
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אֲשֶׁר
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Asher —
Not just a preposition
But an adjective
Happy, joyous, blissful
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר
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Adon Olam Asher
If you grasp this matrix,
you feel joy
and bliss
your most sublime moments of peace
radiate
in every direction
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מָלַךְ
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Malakh
From the word malkhut,
royalty
In Kabbalah
a synonym
for Shekhinah
The one who dwells
The indwelling presence
Dwelling every where
In every thing
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ
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Adon Olam Asher Malakh
The indwelling elusive matrix of bliss
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בְּטֶֽרֶם כׇּל־יְצִיר נִבְרָא׃
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B’terem kol yetsir nivrah
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בְּטֶֽרֶם
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B’terem
Before
in the before
in the great before
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בְּטֶֽרֶם כׇּל־יְצִיר
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Before Kol Yetsir
Everything that has form
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נִבְרָא
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Nivra
was created
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בְּטֶֽרֶם כׇּל־יְצִיר נִבְרָא׃
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B’terem kol yetsir nivra
Before anything with physical shape,
Anything with conceptual form,
or boundaries
of any kind
was created
Before even a thought
of creation,
Before a design
or a plan
arose
The indwelling
elusive matrix of bliss
existed
But “existed”
is a verb
in the past tense form
And until beings
with form
were created
There was no
past tense
There was no
“before”
Only
an indwelling
elusive
matrix of bliss
There was no
infinity
Because infinite
means
“not finite”
And without finite beings
Who can measure
infinity?
Oh Infinity!
A poor concept,
Product
of the short reach
of the human mind
as it tries
to grasp
the elusive
indwelling
matrix of bliss
Infinity!
A marvelous angel,
God’s first
created concept
Our very best tool
To touch
The matrix
Of bliss
Infinity:
a measure,
a hint,
The footsteps of time
Marked out
by the poet,
In his rhythmic words
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אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ
בְּטֶֽרֶם כׇּל־יְצִיר נִבְרָא׃
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Adon Olam Asher Malakh,
B’Terem Kol Yetsir Nivra
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When I,
Laura,
Pray
I often ask:
Holy One,
help me
hold it all,
all my thoughts,
all my feelings,
all my fears,
all my failures
Because you,
Holy One,
already hold them
in your elusive matrix
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בְּיָדוֹ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי
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B’yado afqid ruḥi
Into this cosmic hand
I assign
my spirit
Trusting
it is held
in the matrix
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בְּעֵת אִישַׁן
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B’et Ishan
When it’s time for sleep
I,
whose bodily life
is timed
down to the minute
By hormones, neurons, and nutrients
Conforming to a circadian rhythm
Living 16 of 24 hours
at full attention
I
surrender my control
for 8 hours
I let
the matrix
hold me
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וְאָעִֽירָה
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V’aiyra
Until I wake up
And beyond
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וְעִם רוּחִי גְּוִיָּתִי
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V’im ruchi geviyati
With my soul expressed
through this time-bound form
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אֲדֹנָי לִי
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Adonai Li
My concept
of an infinite God,
keeps me company
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וְלֹא אִירָא
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V’lo Irah
Irah, to see,
Irah, to fear
Though I will never see
the matrix
itself
It holds me
I will not fear
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