Can a stream shape a mountain?
Rabbi Akiva realized this
When he saw the water dripping
Dripping
On the rock
He understood the gentle power
Of the water’s persistent flow
The power that, given time
Can carve out a river channel
And sculpt mountainsides
How much more so can it shape us!
We, whose origins and lasting end
Lie in the earth beneath us
Can surely be changed for the good
By opening ourselves
To the flowing life force of the world
But now our hearts have been hardened
Hewn of stone
And encased in earthen shells
We lug them around
Cut off from our true selves.
As we beat our chests in confession
We are slapping emptiness
Our tears locked away
Behind self-imposed barriers
We are dust in our lives
And will surely be so in our death
Now, more than ever
We must utilize water’s hidden power
And begin to irrigate ourselves
Slowly, slowly
Some are too desperate
They throw themselves in headfirst
And emerge, wet and gasping
Unchanged and angry
This is not the secret!
We are here for 120 years
That is enough time
So we must have faith
Like Rabbi Akiva
That the water can find a way
To penetrate every earthen exterior
To tap into even the stoniest heart
And transform it to a heart of flesh
And remember
That if we turn the water off
We stand no chance for change at all.
thank you