“On Rosh Hashanah all (kol ba'ei olam) pass before Him like ‘bnei marom’. What is the meaning of ‘bnei marom’? Here in Bavel they translated ‘bnei marom’ as to mean like a flock of sheep, Resh Lakish, said, it is like a steep hill, Rabbi Yehudah said that it is like the soldiers of the house of David”(Rosh Hashanah, 18a).It's the end of a day and I'm tired,
earlier this morning I was wired,
standing on chairs to riveting stares,
teaching from the start, reaching to hearts
trying to lift the school year off the ground,
working hard like the others all around
feeling now like the tiredest man alive,
knowing there's no choice but to strive,
realizing that blog has no rhyme,
that blog - causing trouble all the time,
sitting in the library I sigh,
needing to get a clue - like McFly,
needing to learn from my past,
needing to get smart real fast,
yearning for a good night's sleep
soon I'll wake again to earn my keep.
wondering who reads these words
and despite what I say
what have they heard?
who's been glancing here these four years?
when I think too much I fill with fears.
I wonder of the nature of this venue
what choice reactions are on the menu?
what type of person would enjoy what I here do?
what is the answer to that mysterious who?
and I think of Horton and the world he saved
though the other creatures found him depraved.
then I recall an insight that hit me without warning
in the middle of class this very morning:
it says all "ba'ei olam" are judged by G-d
for the first time ever the phrase sounded odd
ba'ei olam sounds like all who enter this earth
any creature who has been birthed
that's a new angle wouldn't you say
I guess it's true; you learn something new every day.
