These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

(PCJE) .דע על מה אתה עומד

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Geo Poor

Tags: , , , , , ,

Geo PoorThere was a wise man who wanted to deliver a speech,
so he thought
and he prepared himself
and he stepped forward and built a Stage.

From this Stage he delivered many
impassioned speeches that so moved
those who heard.

So moved were they that
they wanted to deliver Speeches too.

One man spoke, saying,
“a stage needs a good background,”
and he built a wall.

A third man was inspired and said,
“we cannot risk falling off the stage to the right,”
while another said,
“we cannot risk falling off the stage to the left,”
and such,
walls were built.

Along came another
who was afraid of the rain coming and washing away
the stage,
and so a ceiling was built.

Yet another wanted to conceal
the preparations,
so he hung up curtains.

Soon a wall covered the curtain
and none could see
the Stage
anymore.

But still they came to hear;
in remembrance of
the stirring speeches
they had once heard.

One day a wise man said,
“if we cannot see the Stage,
then why are we sitting here?”

His colleagues objected, afraid to tear down the walls, afraid to reveal the Stage to the masses, for fear of the pure foundations causing a collapse.

And so they clung
to the scaffolding
daily
for
years.

And the second wise man wondered
aloud,
“How can we reveal
the Stage
behind this
drab scaffolding?

Can we replace
these walls
with windows
so that
we
can

k n o w u p o n w h a t w e s t a n d ?”