Revenge

You dirty, cruel monsters killed

Not one

Not two

But three

Three of my brothers

You kidnapped their bodies

And then stole their souls

Their blood cries from the earth

And mine burns with fury and pain

6,000 miles away

I surge with a passion

To exact a meticulous, murderous revenge

To raze anyone in my way

Until I can gouge the eyes of those

Who took my brothers

My brothers

Who I prayed for

Longed for

And now,

Have lost

If the world does not respond

With the intensity that is felt by us all

Then let the world burn down

Because a world that can let this go on

Is not a world I want to belong to.

Eyal... Naftali... Gilad...

I never met you

I never knew you

Until a few weeks ago

When your names

Evoked such an ache in my heart

And now

Such a pain in my soul...

I want nothing more

Than to race around the world

Send us all back in time

And change that one step

That brought us to where we are today

Yearning and learning

That G-d

Has a plan

And while it hurts

I must... MUST believe

That it is His will

And for the loss of your souls

I must better myself

I must better my world

I must better the world

So that your deaths

Are not in vain.

Guess Who's Back

Pull it together... you look like a fool out there.

Well, you make me like that.

Puh-lease. You are in control here. You HAVE been in control. But now you are letting yourself get turned upside way too easily. It's not even an effort... I mean, come on.

I got it now. Really. I'll be better.

We All Feel It

We all feel it

This gaping hole

This widening pit

This endless abyss

Of waiting

Holding our collective breath

Refreshing the news pages

Reciting prayers

In hushed tones with tears

And in screams

Of agony

We all feel

This pain

This frustration and anger

But mostly

We feel hurt

We are hurting

A part of our national body

Has been ripped away

And we are searching for that crucial limb

That life sustaining nerve and artery

Of a people that rely so heavily on each other

We all feel

Like part of ourselves is missing

And we hope

We pray to G-d

That we are reunited soon

Because to feel this loss

Forever

Would be a feeling

We could never forget.

Start Again

The end is the beginning

Where the book closes

Another word is being written

And when you feel like the dust

Has been bitten

And the road falls off the edge

There is always a way

To take a step back

And turn around

The final sound

Is the last exhale

Of life's breath

But the beating

Of a broken heart

Is simply a finish line

That will become a new start

And all the pain

Will be worth a medal one day

With a shiny engraving that reads

"I did not give up"

Even when that last second

Has passed

There is one more moment

To leave it all in the past

And one day

I hope to leave you there

And live a new way

Without thinking about you.

A Few Things

A few things on my mind...

1. Nothing works better to improve my day than a little spa treatment... a manicure goes a long way.

2. Cheesecake is a magical food.

3. Caffeine is best in large doses at frequent intervals.

4. Love is such a loosely used word, I think we have lost sight of what it truly means.

(I love cheesecake. I love you. I love sleep... see what I mean?)

5. Friends are literally make me feel lighter... simply expressing a frustration eases so much anxiety and tension.

6. Helping others means learning to help myself. And that is even harder than going out of my way for someone else.

7. Giving maaser makes me feel rich. I am so fortunate to be in a position to give Tzedakah, and not be the recipient.

8. Passion is powerful. Be careful where you devote your energies.

9. The facets of Torah are endless. I wish I could learn it all.

10. I won't be alone forever. I can't.

The Issue with Achdus

As of late, and perhaps for many years, I have noticed a problem within our people... a problem of being One People. Over the course of several years, I have been affiliated with several incredible organizations that do amazing work for the Klal. But, the thing is... all of these organizations are mutually exclusive. Each one has their events, fundraisers, concerts, programs and services... They provide different, and the same services to similar clientele. Yet, I have yet to see a poster proclaiming "The Achdus Event!" with all of these organizations in participation. Nope. Never. Instead, when one group gets too close to another, out comes the claws, snide comments, petty remarks and evil eyes. 

I have been the recipient of much of this abuse. I have been persecuted for trying to volunteer for multiple organizations. I have been ridiculed, punished and stepped on. The message seems clear.... "do good.. but only do good for us. No one else."

Is this the kind of chesed we promote? We have become insular and vindictive. And the only people who we hurt are ourselves... and the kind people who simple want to do good for the world, yet suffer because they want to do so much good...

For a people who speak of "Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh La'Zeh", I think we need to take a closer look at who we look out for.... and maybe expand our arms wider and embrace everyone.