I'm dreaming of a white Pesach
Snow, snow, go away
Don't want you at all today
Sidewalk slick makes walker sway
How I wish that it were May
It would not be our first seder with snow
As Northern folks undoubtedly know
People are sometimes sad in a cold clime
When they see no sun for days at a time
On the other hand, here are children having a snowball fight
Perhaps snow has a purpose--our kids' delight
Aish u-varad, sheleg v'kitor, ruach s'arah osah d'varo*
Maybe 'tis for our "guarantors"** that Hashem in heaven gives us snow
*From Psalm 148: "Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind does/makes/acts/fulfils (in accordance with) His word."
**From a midrash (rabbinical interpretive story) saying that our ancestors promised Hashem that their children would be guarantors of their loyalty. Or something to that effect. Could my more learned readers post the midrash in the comments, please?
Don't want you at all today
Sidewalk slick makes walker sway
How I wish that it were May
It would not be our first seder with snow
As Northern folks undoubtedly know
People are sometimes sad in a cold clime
When they see no sun for days at a time
On the other hand, here are children having a snowball fight
Perhaps snow has a purpose--our kids' delight
Aish u-varad, sheleg v'kitor, ruach s'arah osah d'varo*
Maybe 'tis for our "guarantors"** that Hashem in heaven gives us snow
*From Psalm 148: "Fire and hail, snow and vapor, stormy wind does/makes/acts/fulfils (in accordance with) His word."
**From a midrash (rabbinical interpretive story) saying that our ancestors promised Hashem that their children would be guarantors of their loyalty. Or something to that effect. Could my more learned readers post the midrash in the comments, please?
Labels: My poems
posted by Shira Salamone at 6:08 PM
7 Comments:
I have a hard time thinking that we are obligated to something extra because our ancestors committed us to something. It would be nice if we could have the choice. But maybe it was one of those things where a mountain was held over us/ancestors.
Hey, think of snow as a kind of replica of maan.
Saw a really great site today: http://www.pleasedaven.com
my first thought as i was fighting through the snow to walk (slip, stumble, fall, trip) to shul last Shabbos: "I can't deal with this snow, I need to make aliya already." Somehow the thought of snow in J'lem doesn't seem as bad...
" . . . a kind of replica of maan." Hmm, well, if maan (manna) could taste like whatever we wanted it to taste like, maybe we could imagine snow to like whatever we wanted it to look like. How about a nice walk under the trees on a warm sunny day? :)
Thanks for the URL.
RivkaYael, best of luck with your Aliyah dream.
If you think the snow was bad in NYC, you should try driving up to the mountains during a blizzard, where they got at least double the amount of snow we got in NYC and NJ. On erev Shabbos.
I'll blog about my trip this weekend, hopefully. When my hands stop shaking.
I believe the midrash goes along the lines of:
what pledge do you make to the covenant?
Our ancestors will be our guarantors..
(not good enough)
We ourselves will be our guarantors
(still not good enough)
Our children will be our guarantors
(okey-dokey, acceptable)
(call it Torah-lite) ;D
ok, REALLY lite...
It was a cold 90 out here in LA.
Elie, oy. Those of us who live in New York City and ride the subways are spoiled on both counts--we're not used to either really horrendous weather or white-knuckle driving. Glad to hear you got home in one piece.
Tzipporah, I like your "Torah Lite" version. :)
Jack, don't rub it in.
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