May 10, 2011 | 1:51 pm

IF-THEN

Posted by Emily Stern

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(Translation of The Talmud Chullin 60b taken from kolel.org)
Rabbi Shim’on ben Pazi pitted one against another: “God made the two big lights” (Genesis 1:16a) and “the big light… and the small light” (Genesis 1:16b)!
The moon said before the Blessed Holiness: “Ruler of the World! Is it possible for two kings to make us of the same crown?”
He said to her: “Go and make yourself smaller!”

She said before Him: “Ruler of the World! Because I said something reasonable before You, I am to make myself smaller!?”
He said to her: “Go and rule by day and by night.”
She said to him: “What importance does that have? What use is a lamp in daylight?”
He said to her: “Go, and the Jewish people will reckon days and years by you.”
She said to Him: “It is impossible for them not to reckon seasons by Day also, since it is written, ‘And they will be for signs and for set times and for days and years’!” (Genesis 1:14)
“Go, and holy people will be named after you: Small Jacob [see Amos 7:2], Small Shmuel [a sage of the Talmud], Small David [see I Samuel 17:14].”

Seeing that she had not been appeased, the Blessed Holiness said [to the Jewish people]: “Bring an atonement sacrifice for Me, because I made the moon smaller.”

This agrees with what Rabbi Shim’on ben Lakish said: “Why is the goat of the New Moon distinguished, in that the Torah says about it, ‘For HaShem’? The Blessed Holiness said: ‘This goat will be an atonement sacrifice for Me, because I made the moon smaller.’”

you are a sweet friend,
in
‘honey is going to be there.’
do you need proof that i love you? if so, let this be it.

you are my stamina, my one i will not receive until all the world is whole. the whole one that i love i cannot even look at in the eye until the whole world is healed, is honored in you.
you are the only one i can look-
How still it sounds, song
To play if-then with the one who is there

I break all IF-then
And remember who
I look in the eye and said
Not until…

This moment makes herself now.

I send you when light overwhelms
Me and I make choices like,
“Well, how can this really be real?”
And hope that if you pore love into yourself, You will find me here.

And then maybe when it’s all part one, It is I am loving everything
that tends to anywhere be. I was given choices in my mind,
Watched her come and was told it was okay. Clearly We can do that.
Will you finally look up to the sky and see me? Do not hold you down
to make it what you want it to be. Open us, And find one More than we. Inside I, Light. And I want to feel excited. I feel excited at the prospect of me exciting you even a little. Take me by letting me take you, And take me again, Somewhere else. We are healing the sun and moon.  The sun also agreed to be.  The moon turned gold,
And it didn’t make her the sun.  She came back and told us how it all went
When ‘The whole world smiled at the exact same moment!’

Can we do our work together?
Or that concept of work will have to be so sorted out by then.
You are a sweet friend in “honey, i’m going to be there”
I just want to know that I have done everything I could do.

by emily stern