Truth exists! Truth exists, even if you don't like that fact! Truth exists, even if you don't believe in truth! Truth will just keep on existing! What you believe has not one single thing to do with what is real or what is unreal! Your opinion, your beliefs influence nothing about the existence of truth! What is truly truth simply is what it is! Nothing you say or do can affect truth at all!
How is this night different from all other nights?
On this night, the air whispers secrets to the moon, and the stars gather in solemn assembly. The darkness enfolds the world, cradling both dreams and fears. It is a night pregnant with possibility, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Perhaps it is different because you asked the question, and in that inquiry lies the magic of curiosity. 🌙✨
On all other nights, we eat chametz (leavened foods) and matzah. Why on this night, only matzah?
On all other nights, we eat chametz (leavened foods) and matzah. But on this special night, we partake only in matzah. Why? Because it symbolizes the haste with which our ancestors left Egypt during the Exodus. When they fled, there was no time for the bread to rise, so they baked unleavened matzah. It serves as a powerful reminder of their journey to freedom. 🍞🔓
As we gather around the Seder table, the matzah becomes a central element, connecting us to our history and the resilience of our people. Its simplicity carries profound meaning, and its taste echoes the bittersweetness of liberation. So, on this night, let us break the matzah together and share in the story of our shared past. 🌟
On all other nights, we eat all vegetables. Why, on this night, maror (bitter herbs)?
This question echoes through generations, A tale of liberation, of ancient celebrations. When the Israelites fled from Pharaoh’s cruel hand, Their journey to freedom, a story so grand.
On Passover eve, as the matzah we break, We taste the maror, a bitter herb’s wake. Its sharpness reminds us of slavery’s chains, The tears shed in bondage, the hardships and pains.
Why maror? Why this bitterness we embrace? To honor our past, to remember our grace. For in bitterness lies strength, resilience, and might, A reminder that freedom is worth the fight.
So we dip it in charoset, a sweet mixture divine, Balancing the bitter with sweetness, a sign. As we recline at the Seder table, hearts full of pride, Maror connects us to history, our heritage, side by side. 🌿
On all other nights, we don't dip even once. Why on this night do we dip twice?
This question echoes through generations, A Passover tradition, a sacred sensation. As the matzah crumbles and wine is sipped, Why this change? Why this double-dip?
Listen closely, my friend, to the tale I’ll unfold, Of ancient freedom, of miracles untold. In Egypt’s dark grasp, we were slaves, oppressed, Our cries reached the heavens, our hearts sorely stressed.
Moses, our leader, with courage so grand, Demanded our freedom, a bold, righteous stand. Pharaoh resisted, his heart hard as stone, Ten plagues rained down, a power unknown.
And then came that night, the fateful eve, When we prepared to leave, our spirits to relieve. The lamb’s blood on doorposts, a sign so divine, Death passed over our homes, a blessing benign.
We dipped our greens in saltwater tears, Remembering the bitterness of those years. Once, we dipped for slavery’s cruel plight, But now, we dip twice, both day and night.
The first dip, parsley or lettuce in hand, Symbolizes spring, renewal, and the Promised Land. The second, charoset, a sweet mixture we taste, Recalling the mortar that bound us in haste.
So, my friend, on this night, we dip with care, To honor our past, our ancestors’ share. Twice we dip, a reminder profound, Of freedom’s journey, on hallowed ground. 🌟🍷🌿
On all other nights, we eat either sitting upright or reclining. Why on this night do we all recline?
On this special night, we recline because it symbolizes freedom and liberation. The act of reclining during the Passover Seder represents our transition from slavery to freedom. It’s a powerful reminder of our ancestors’ journey from bondage in Egypt to redemption. So, as we lean back, we connect with their story and celebrate our own liberation. 🌟🍷🌙
A spray of pine-needles,
Dipped in western horizon gold,
Fell onto a path.
Dry moulds of cow-hoofs.
In the forest.
Rabbits knew not of their falling,
Nor did the forest catch aflame.
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35 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, 7 tanned rams' skins, and goatskins;[a] acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 the finely worked garments for ministering[b] in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
36 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,[c] and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
10 He[d] coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. 12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
14 He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. 19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins.
20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.
31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. 36 And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. 37 He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, 38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.
37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits[e] and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth[f] wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.
17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 19 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 21 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. 22 Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils out of a talent[g] of pure gold.
25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.
38 He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits[h] was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. 2 He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. 4 And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. 5 He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.
8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
9 And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 10 their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11 And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 13 And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15 And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. 16 All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. 17 And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18 And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20 And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
I have reached that point of the circuit
where the horizon, when the sun sets,
gives birth to the twin-ruled heavens,
and Love’s planet is remote from us,
because of the bright rays crossing her
slantwise, making of themselves a veil:
while the planet that solaces the frost
shows itself fully from the great arch
in which the Seven cast little shadow:
and yet not one of all the thoughts of love
with which I’m burdened, eases my mind
that seems so much harder than a stone,
gripped firmly by such images of stone.
Lifted high from Ethiopian sands,
those wandering winds that stir the air,
warmed now by the sun’s bright sphere;
cross the waves, carrying in their wake,
such deep fog, which, if nothing clears,
shuts in and darkens all this hemisphere;
and then dissolves, falls in white flakes
of freezing snow and a noxious sleet,
with which the air saddened weeps:
yet Love, who furls his net on high,
because of the power of the winds,
quits me not; such is the lovely lady,
the cruel one, he grants me for my lady.
Some birds chase the warmth, and flee
from European lands that never fail
to see the Seven ever-frozen stars;
the voices of the rest have fallen silent,
not to sing again until green spring,
unless some harshness makes them cry;
and all the creatures carefree by nature,
are freed of love, because their spirits
are wholly deadened by the wintry cold:
yet I feel love within me more than ever,
for those sweet thoughts are neither taken
from me, nor given me for lengths of time,
my lady grants to one with little time.
Leaves the power of the Ram engendered,
to adorn the world, fulfil their hour,
all the grass is dead, and all the green
the foliage of all the trees lost to us,
unless in laurel, in the pines or firs,
or frozen in some other evergreen;
so fierce and bitter is the season,
it kills all the flowers of the field,
that cannot tolerate the biting frost:
yet Love does not intend to draw
this cruel thorn from out my heart;
which I determine to bear forever
as long as I live, were that forever.
The streams run with smoke-laden water,
because of vapours deep underground,
that rise on high from the buried chasms;
so the path that pleased me on fine days
has turned into a river, and so will run
as long as winter’s dire assault shall last;
the earth is floored now as with enamel,
and the dull water changed to glass,
by cold air that seals it from without:
yet I’ve not deviated by a single step
from this war of mine, nor wish I to,
for if anguish is a kind of sweetness,
death must exceed every other sweetness.
Song, what will become of me, now,
in the sweet new season, in which love
rains down on earth from the whole sky.
if love lives on in me alone, despite
this frost, and yet is nowhere else alive?
Surely I will become a man of marble,
if this girl keeps within a heart of marble.
