Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Treasure - A Random Poetic Selection

My Treasure


A treasure not sought after much

By elderly or youth;

A beauty not admired as such

By primitive or couth.


The satisfaction she provides

Is not for sale in stores;

No advertisements or bromides

No international tours.


The cynics and the skeptics doubt

What good she has to give;

For me she is what good’s about

And my whole reason to live.


Enjoying her the way I do

You’d think I wouldn’t share;

The truth is, if the world did too

There’d still be much to spare.


Each evening I do creep away

Enwrapped in cloak of night

And cast aside the workaday

For wisdom's sweet delight.


10 comments:

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

Bravo! Its been way too long since the last poetry.

Rabbi Joshua Maroof said...

Yes, I agree, I have been out of that framework of thought for a while, though not intentionally so.

Suddenly the idea of writing a poem occurred to me yesterday afternoon, and ten minutes later, somehow, this product came out.

I thought it was kind of charming and forthright so I figured I would post it.

Anonymous said...

So the last refrain is about Tikkun Chatzot, right?...

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said...

הִלְכּוֹת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה פֵּרֶק ג

טו [יג] אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּצְוָה לִלְמֹד בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, אֵין אָדָם לָמֵד רֹב חָכְמָתוֹ אֵלָא בַּלַּיְלָה; לְפִיכָּךְ מִי שֶׁרָצָה לִזְכּוֹת בְּכֶתֶר הַתּוֹרָה, יִזָּהֵר בְּכָל לֵילוֹתָיו, וְלֹא יְאַבַּד אַפִלּוּ אַחַת מֵהֶן בְּשִׁינָה וַאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְשִׂיחָה וְכַיּוֹצֶא בָּהֶן, אֵלָא בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה וְדִבְרֵי חָכְמָה. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים, אֵין גָּרְנָהּ שֶׁלַּתּוֹרָה אֵלָא לַיְלָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "קוּמִי רֹנִּי בַלַּיְלָה" (איכה ב,יט). וְכָל הָעוֹסֵק בַּתּוֹרָה בַּלַּיְלָה, חוּט שֶׁלְּחֶסֶד נִמְשָׁךְ עָלָיו בַּיּוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמָר "יוֹמָם, יְצַוֶּה ה' חַסְדּוֹ, וּבַלַּיְלָה, שִׁירֹה עִמִּי--תְּפִלָּה, לְאֵל חַיָּי" (תהילים מב,ט). וְכָל בַּיִת שְׁאֵין דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה נִשְׁמָעִין בּוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה, אֵשׁ אוֹכְלַתּוּ.

Anonymous said...

Can you explain why the nighttime is more conducive to learning?
Secondly the statement of a fire consuming any house that doesn't have Torah2 heard in it at night.

Rabbi Joshua Maroof said...

Night is typically a time reserved for leisure activity rather than structured practical routine. A person's ultimate set of priorities and values is fully manifest at night, when he has the opportunity to pursue his heart's desire without anyone else's agenda directing his activity.

For most Americans, this means that nighttime is TV time, which is why the "Prime Time" for television is at night.

Nighttime, then, is more conducive to learning for two reasons. The first is because it allows for unencumbered dedication of energies to learning. The second is because it both expresses and reinforces our love of learning, since it is a pursuit of learning outside of any conventional routine or required program.

Our home serves as our shelter as well as the center of our leisure and entertainment activities. If we utilize it for the proper aims, if our values are correct, the home becomes a vehicle of the highest good.

On the other hand, if the home is merely an instrument for the gratification of our instincts, it will ultimately be "consumed" by the very fire of passion that it feeds.

Anonymous said...

Rabbi, I was just wondering how many hours should one study at night and how many should one sleep at least theoretically/ideally speaking since it varies from person to person? There are some who sleep only 2-3 hours at night and spend the rest of the time studying or doing something related.

moonlight1021 said...

I like the poem and I still have in mind The Door poem when I go in and out of my room/the house! (And in case anybody else out there was wondering I'm going to be starting school soon. Shabbat Shalom!)

Unknown said...

The general scientific consensus is that seven to eight hours of sleep is sufficient for most of us.

Yeshivish Atheist said...

Nice poem, by the way.