The rhythm of the past rings true
In rote fashion the days of awe
Return to haunt the pious Jew
Whose deeds have markedly broken the law.
The trumpet sounds the coming time
That reminds the world of God’s display
When in the judgment day a sign
To all who have chosen their own way.
The new year is no panacea —
Only false hopes and promises today
Save the man who proclaimed from Galilee to Berea
To provide a light along the way.
God sits in the lofty heights of heaven
Judging seeds that we have sown.
Should we be found corrupt with leaven
Your sure fate is engraved in stone.
Who shall die by fire and who by water?
And who to be strangled and shot by gun?
Yet God has erected a system of barter —
The substitutionary offering of His only Son.
This Rosh Hashanah day of old
Can make a new beginning wave
By entering into the faith of Abraham’s fold
And the understanding of God’s love He gave.
This poem was composed by MJTI CFO Rabbi Elliot Klayman. For more High Holiday and Rosh Hashanah articles, read Entering the Days of Awe, Rosh HaShana and Yom Teruah, or A Sweet Year and a Bright Future.
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