a creation myth

[starfrosting]

Lif’nei b’rei’shit. . .before the beginning,
before the faces of time and space appeared,
before there was even a before,
all that was
was endless mystery, :
No limitation and no definition. . .


And then, after the
emptiness and timelessness,
Echad,the pregnant oneness emerged,
the all-nourishing giver of birth.
And out of that womb emerged Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey.
Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, Source of all existence.
And Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey radiated a tiny seed
of energy and mass, and propelled by
Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, the source of being,
the seed exploded, erupting a universe into being.
Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey brought into being HaVaYaH --
all of time and space, all of existence.


Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey and HVYH:
the Source of being and being itself.
Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey and HVYH:
Not two separate things,
but two faces of the Oneness of All.
YHVH Echad u’sh’mo Echad.


All that would ever be
was already there in that eruption.
Every bit of you and me, and every galaxy,
was there in that expanding seed of HaVaYaH.
Blazing like a furnace for a million years,
that seed of fire became a creative womb
birthing all the simple particles of existence.


Now Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, the source of everything,
Brought forth a myriad of forms and shapes;
stars and galaxies leapt into being:
a hundred billion galaxies,
each with a hundred billion stars.
All dancing,
All swirling about each other.


And all existence expanded
Ever pushing out with force of all forces,
the force we call Gevurah.
And even as HaVaYaH expanded,
everything was also pulled toward each other,
pulled by an attraction.
The scientists called it Gravity;
a mystic may call it Chesed,
cosmic love, drawing everything in attraction.


It is the allurement which brings
communities into being:
atoms, stars, galaxies, planets,
oceans, forests, ecosystems,
lovers and friends, families and nations.
And all are part of the totality of HaVaYaH,
the body of Being.


Stardust pulled together
and yielded a sun and planets,
and this tiny planet, the planet Earth.
From Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, the Eternal Source,
Earth unfolded, oceans, continents,
mountains, lakes, rivers, air.
A cauldron of creativity,
fashioning complex forms,
intricate combinations,
until life burst forth, ever evolving,
spreading across the continents,
covering the entire planet,
sprouting, swimming, crawling and flying.
Flowers in fields, forests on the foothills,
herds of roaming mammals, schools of fish.


And then: an ape with a discerning eye,
a primate that could see
the beauty of each creation,
to deeply feel and savor
the wonder of Yod Hey Vav Hey's creativity.
Finally, a creature who could give thanks
for the miracle of existence:
Modeh ani l’fa’necha . . .
A creature, not only self-aware,
But who--with all life--is part
of the self-awareness of Yod Hey Vav Hey,
of the self-knowledge of HaVaYaH
Humanity rising to a planetary dimension,
to a cosmic responsibility,
providing the earth with heart and mind.
In our depths, the universe shivers with wonder.


Our lives can be dedicated
to finding the holiness in every thing and every one,
or we can ignore the sacredness of the reality about us.
Within our hands is the power
to enrich the life of the planet,
and within our hands is the power to destroy.
U’va’char’tem ba’chayim:
Choose life that you and your children may live.


The holiness which we seek and which we find,
we call kadosh.
And our dedication to holiness, our work to enrich the planet,
we call the path of mitzvah.


Ha’me’ir la’aretz u’l’darim ah’leh’ha
Each morning you awake to the very fire
that created all the stars.
Each day is an occasion to dedicate yourself
to a vision of oneness, harmony and beauty
worthy of our fiery origin.
Sh’ma Yisrael: HaVaYaH Eloheinu, YHVH Echad.
In our work, in our relationships,
We can shape this fire as it has shaped us,
aware of the awesome energy which has provided it.
Or we can waste this fire, and we can use it for destruction.
Our most important mitzvah is to cherish this fire,
the source of our existence,
the power we can use for transformation,
the power to manifest holiness
in our planet, in our species,
in our society, in our community,
in our family, in myself.


V'ahavtah et Yod Hey Vav Hey
Elo'he'chah b'chol l'vav'echa
u'v'chol naf'sheh'cha u'v'chol m'o'decha,
"And you shall love HaVaYaH your fiery power
with all your heart, with all your life, with all that is yours."
This is the fire of the entire cosmos:
We must not waste it on triviality nor on enmity.
We cherish HaVaYaH by standing in awe,
by acting with reverence,
by developing conscience as we use it,
by offering our gratitude.
We have the power to forge cosmic fire.
What can compare with such a destiny?

(by Rabbi Burt Jacobson, found it here)

Comments

[chemalfait.livejournal.com]

oooooo yah
love it!

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

it's wonderful, isn't it? esp. cos Rebbe and I seem to both be reading The Universe is a Green Dragon at the same time...