One of the themes in last week’s Torah portion—the only one from the opening of the book of Exodus until the end of the Torah—was hiddenness. This is also a big theme in early springtime, when all the life that has been hidden beneath the snow and soil or beneath the bark of trees is uncovered and breaks through. Even though we may not be aware of it, life is happening even when it is hidden. And so you might also say that God is happening, even when God is hidden.
This poem embraces the dark, hidden, smelly things that are all part of Creation. God may be in the majestic mountains, the soaring eagles, and the graceful antelope. God is also in the microbes, the buzzards, the maggots, and the mushrooms. So here’s to the God who breathes life into dying things, every single day.
A response to parashah Tetzaveh
O god of deep and hidden things
O god of mushrooms, moss, and ferns
O god who breathes with winter's sighs
Show us how to find you.
O god of still and silent things
O god of seeps and soaks and stones
O god whose bones are mountains, trees
Teach us how to hear you.
O god of dark and hidden things
O god of compost, mold, and rot
O god who brings dead things to life
Sing to us and wake us.
O god of peat and god of worms
O god of smelly, funky things
O god whose song is love unknown
Take our hand and guide us.
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