The Wall

The lawgiver sees
the calf,
sweating gold in the camp.

The Law in his hands
weighs heavy
The letters of stone
take fright -
take flight -

Now stone-free
they fly
back to the top
of the mountain
to the Master.

And the stone-dead weight,
too heavy for the hand of man
crashes down
to the ground.
Just another brick from the wall.

The 17th of Tammuz is a day of fasting which commemorates five tragedies in the history of the Jewish People.

The incident of the golden calf and the breaking of the first tablets of The Law.
The walls of the Jerusalem were breached in the time of the first Temple.
The daily offering in the Temple was discontinued for lack of available sheep.
Apostumus burned the Torah.
An idol was set up in the Sanctuary.

Sources:
Medrash, Ki Sisa

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This poem originally appeared in SEASONS OF THE MOON for Tammuz 5756.
Written by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair.
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman.
HTML Design: Michael B. Treblow

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