“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying…” (Lev 1:1)
God calls, but we don’t hear.
We, syllables of names that came
before. What starts
with a name is hide-
and-seek, call and response or
call with none. It’s a “Where are
you when your arms are tied
and your breath caught in thorns?”
Is it a call or a cry?
Even in the burning
bush, if you look, you can be found.
A call, your name,
a flutter in the heart.
God calls.
We are silent.
We say and we call.
God speaks. God calls.
We listen but don’t hear.
Light grows.
Leaves bend.
Wind blows, clouds move.
God calls.
God speaks. We
speak. We cry.
We call and God calls.
Redemption might come
if we could hear God
calling our names
home
to this,
here
a place
of meeting.
Rabbi/Chaplain Sara O’Donnell Adler, MA, BCC, is a member of the Board of NAJC, Neshama: Association of Jewish Chaplains. She has served as Staff Chaplain at University of Michigan Hospitals since 2008. Her interests include narrative medicine, animal assisted therapy, gardening, and writing poetry. She received her ordination from JTS, the Jewish Theological Seminary.
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