Thursday, July 15, 2010

God, Where Shall I Find You?

One of my favorite liturgical poems was written by Judah Halevi who lived between 1075 and 1141.
To me it says:

God, where shall I find you? If I look, you are with me. If I don't look, you are with me. If I believe in you, you are there and if I don't believe in you, you are still there. You are the constant source of my light and love, my balance and my energy.

Here is how Judah HaLevi wrote it (with my literary license to the translation):

Lord, where shall I find You?
Your place is lofty and secret.

And where shall I not find You?
The whole earth is full of Your glory!

You are found in our innermost heart,
yet You fixed earth's boundaries.

You are a strong tower for those who are near,
and the trust of those who are far.

You are enthroned on the cherubim,
yet You dwell in the heights of heaven.

You are praised by Your hosts,
but even their praise is not worthy of You.

The sphere of heaven cannot contain You;
how much less the chambers of the Temple!

Even when You rise above Your hosts on a throne, high and exalted,
You are nearer to us than our own bodies and souls.

You have no Maker except You.
Who shall not be in awe of you?
All bear the breath of your kingdom.
And who shall not call out to you?
It is You who sustain us -- breathe into us -- dance us -- continue to create us.

I have sought to come near You,
I have called to You with all my heart;
and when I got towards You,
I find you coming towards me.

I look upon your wondrous power and awe.
Who can say that they have not seen You?
The heavens and their Hosts proclaim your power
without sound.

No comments:

Post a Comment