ב"ה

When G‑d created what would be
All of that which we can know,
He gave to us a world that worked
Through the laws that He would show:
Laws that made the planets move,
And made the oceans rise and fall,
And told us why an atom spins
And showed the ways that life begins.

He gave to man an extra gift
By placing souls in all of us;
Then blessed us with an intellect
To find the purpose He had set;
He blew upon us holy breath
To give desire to our quest
To know the “Why” of what we see
And determine how our lives should be.

Since in this world we’re not alone
And we must all cooperate,
We need to have a guiding light
To show the way we should behave;
So He gave to us His moral laws
To sustain and build the life He gave.

This law is not a single note
Or wisdom simply learned by rote,
But more a brilliant symphony
Of variations on His theme
That needs be heard in harmony
Within the lives that we all lead.

We see a world through simple eyes
Which has a vast complexity,
But with the laws G‑d gave to us,
We have the rules that we will need.
But if we disregard His laws
And lose the way that He has shown
The consequences of our acts
Are penalties for all our wrongs.

Though we might find with our own minds,
What it is that we should do,
Every act contains some risk
Because each act has consequence.
We ponder as our days grow short
What it is our lives might mean.
But if we listen to our hearts,
What we sought, would soon be seen.

But modern men have found it hard
To seek for Truth outside themselves;
They want to feel that they’re in charge
And believe somehow that they are gods.
So in the process of their lives,
They abandon He who gave them life,
And created rhythms in the world,
Which, if they heard would bring delight.

Some even claim that G‑d is naught
And that His laws do not prevail,
So plot their route down different trails
Proceeding brashly on their way.
But when their way begins to fail,
They look to Heaven with a sigh
And scream that life has been unjust
And blame the G‑d that they denied.

They search for other, newer gods
Who let them do the things they want:
Forces that will run the world
As long as they’re controlled by them.
They’ve dubbed their favorite deities
“Science” and “Philosophy”,
Pretending these will help them find
Meaning in the lives they lead.

But, “Science” is both deaf and dumb
Since there is little it can say
About the things that matter most,
Like how it is we live each day.
It cannot speak important things
Like whom we are, or what we do,
Or how our children should grow up
Or how to treat the man next door
Or what is right and what is wrong.
Or even how to sing a song.

“Science” has no brain to think,
Nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear,
Nor nose to smell or hands to touch.
In fact it knows not very much.
Its acolytes learn what to do,
By parsing data through and through
Like reading entrails of dead birds
By oracles of long ago.

Data’s not the same as truth,
But interpreted through mortal men,
Who through the arrogance they have
Make judgments far beyond their ken.
Miracles of which they heard,
They try to find a way to scorn
And ignore the miracles they meet,
Living each and every day.

Miracles are strange events
With happy endings at long odds
Like life itself amid the void,
Given by a gracious G‑d.
Or how else is it that we explain
The crossing of a sea of reeds
By a group of abject slaves
That in the end would make them free.

So “Science” seems an obtuse god;
Its priests confuse its worshipers,
Creating faith in shifting sand
Through a dexterous sleight of hand.
The other god’s philosophy
For those who seek but do not know
But try to understand the whole
Of all the things they cannot know.

Philosophers refuse to see
The path they walk does not yield light,
But leads them into deep despair
To leave them with their darkest fears.
They disregard what they have seen,
And solely believe what’s in their mind
Describing life that never was
With little value to their lives.
They will not see what’s in clear sight
Or hear the music they can sense
Or feel the joy within each day
By receiving love that others give,
Or believe the truths of ancient words
About ourselves and what is right.

Ideas are not worth a damn
Unless of value in our lives
And philosophy at end of day
Is nothingness and noble lies.
Those who worship at its feet
Are only fools except for those
Who find their way to getting paid,
By teaching what they cannot know.

The choice we make should not be hard
From what’s above and what’s below,
That brings us into happiness,
Or leads the way to great sorrow.
Why choose a life that’s meaningless
With no direction to our lives,
A life of fear of what’s ahead
A life that’s built on naught but lies?

So make the choice to live your life,
In gratitude toward He who gives
A meaning to the life we have,
So in the end we’ve truly lived

 

- Finding the Light of G‑d, pages 18-23