Psalm 27

by Itamar Dotan Katz

Dear parents, 

Last week I laid out some thoughts about how our poets of old pointed us toward a quiet that can transcend even the most difficult moments. At the heart of these is Psalm 27, attributed to King David. Here are two very different renditions of the Psalm, along with the original Hebrew text. The first version stays very close to the Hebrew, and the second is not quite a translation, more an expression of what I see as the main idea behind the Psalm, using elements from many different lines in the text.

27

For David

Yhvh is my light
My salvation
Who should I fear?

Yhvh is the fortress of my life
Why be scared?

When the bad angels
Crowd close
Above me
To eat my flesh
My constrainers
And betrayers
They fail
And fall.

If an army sets up camp to attack me
My heart will not stir.
If a war breaks out to destroy me
On this I count:

I ask only one thing of YHVH,
One request only:
To sit in the house of YHVH
Every day of my life
To see the sweetness
To visit the abode of the All.
She will make me invisible
When they come looking for me
Tuck me into her Sukkah,
She will hide me
In the folds of Her tent
In the bedrock of the mountain
She will raise me high and mighty

In that moment
My head will rise
High above my surrounding enemies

In that tent
I will gift Her
Beautiful sacrifices of sound
Poetry and song to YHVH

Can You Hear me
When my voice rushes out to find you?
Grace me with an answer.
My heart screams for You: Find me!
You said:
Seek My Face
So why do you hide it?
Don’t turn your back
Quit snorting your nose in rage.
Have you forgotten you’re my partner? My help?
Don’t abandon me
Don’t leave me
You God of my salvation
My father and mother have left me
And YHVH picked me up

Point me to Your path
Lead me down straight, open road
To escape those who would
Narrow it to meaninglessness.
Don’t let their souls swallow mine
Liars are testifying against me already
Puffing up the consuming breath of violence

If I didn’t believe
I’d see Your goodness
In the land of the living…….

Hope toward YHVH;
Strengthen that brave heart of yours
And hope toward YHVH.

There is a Place

There is place called Salvation
Where words flip and drop
And sounds bubble up from the depths
Where noises fall slowly
To the ocean floor of our ears.
There poems drip off of lips
Like a silent rain drop
From a wet leaf
And sirens ring like bronze gongs
In hearts beating calmly
As they move
Squid-like
Toward the lovers call
“Find me!”
“I’m here
Beside you.”

Where your enemies feasted on your flesh
Nothing remains but the silence
They lovingly left behind.

A young tree moves ever slowly
Toward the light
A stalactite grows
Drippingly toward the floor
Of the cave
Where a creature of war
Sits still waiting
For peace to come
Had I not known this place existed…..
Had I not known this place exists…..
Had I not known this Land of Living Beings…..

"I hear it,” she hears,
“Your sacrifice of sound is now complete.”
 

לְדָוִ֨ד ׀ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אוֹרִ֣י וְ֭יִשְׁעִי מִמִּ֣י אִירָ֑א יְהֹוָ֥ה מָעוֹז־חַ֝יַּ֗י מִמִּ֥י אֶפְחָֽד׃

בִּקְרֹ֤ב עָלַ֨י ׀ מְרֵעִים֮ לֶאֱכֹ֢ל אֶת־בְּשָׂ֫רִ֥י צָרַ֣י וְאֹיְבַ֣י לִ֑י הֵ֖מָּה כָשְׁל֣וּ וְנָפָֽלוּ׃

אִם־תַּחֲנֶ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ מַחֲנֶה֮ לֹא־יִירָ֢א לִ֫בִּ֥י אִם־תָּק֣וּם עָ֭לַי מִלְחָמָ֑ה בְּ֝זֹ֗את אֲנִ֣י בוֹטֵֽחַ׃

אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵֽאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם־יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃

כִּ֤י יִצְפְּנֵ֨נִי ׀ בְּסֻכֹּה֮ בְּי֢וֹם רָ֫עָ֥ה יַ֭סְתִּרֵנִי בְּסֵ֣תֶר אׇהֳל֑וֹ בְּ֝צ֗וּר יְרוֹמְמֵֽנִי׃

וְעַתָּ֨ה יָר֪וּם רֹאשִׁ֡י עַ֤ל אֹיְבַ֬י סְֽבִיבוֹתַ֗י וְאֶזְבְּחָ֣ה בְ֭אׇהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵ֣י תְרוּעָ֑ה אָשִׁ֥ירָה וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה לַֽיהֹוָֽה׃

שְׁמַע־יְהֹוָ֖ה קוֹלִ֥י אֶקְרָ֗א וְחׇנֵּ֥נִי וַֽעֲנֵֽנִי׃

לְךָ֤ ׀ אָמַ֣ר לִ֭בִּי בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ פָנָ֑י אֶת־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֲבַקֵּֽשׁ׃

אַל־תַּסְתֵּ֬ר פָּנֶ֨יךָ ׀ מִמֶּנִּי֮ אַ֥ל תַּט־בְּאַ֗ף עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ עֶזְרָתִ֥י הָיִ֑יתָ אַֽל־תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי וְאַל־תַּ֝עַזְבֵ֗נִי אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעִֽי׃

כִּֽי־אָבִ֣י וְאִמִּ֣י עֲזָב֑וּנִי וַֽיהֹוָ֣ה יַאַסְפֵֽנִי׃

ה֤וֹרֵ֥נִי יְהֹוָ֗ה דַּ֫רְכֶּ֥ךָ וּ֭נְחֵנִי בְּאֹ֣רַח מִישׁ֑וֹר לְ֝מַ֗עַן שֽׁוֹרְרָֽי׃

אַֽל־תִּ֭תְּנֵנִי בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ צָרָ֑י כִּ֥י קָמוּ־בִ֥י עֵדֵי־שֶׁ֝֗קֶר וִיפֵ֥חַ חָמָֽס׃

לׅׄוּׅׄלֵׅ֗ׄאׅׄ הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי לִרְא֥וֹת בְּֽטוּב־יְהֹוָ֗ה בְּאֶ֣רֶץ חַיִּֽים׃

קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְ֫הֹוָ֥ה חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Misha