Parasha From a Poets Perspective: Parashas Vayera - Hineni

The fourth Torah Portion of Sefer Bereshis has arrived.

In Parashas Vayera, we have a lot happening, from Avraham Avinu inviting the angels who appear to him as guests, to the destruction of Sedom, to the Akeda, there is so much to learn about, so many beautiful lessons to internalize and many beautiful messages and deep explanations to connect to.

I myself found it hard to narrow my options down as to what to write about. Alongside that, deciding how to go about writing the idea I wanted to work with was also a challenge. I could have either written a poem about Avraham Avinu and the angels, or about the Akeda. Now with those baseline ideas set before me, how would I go about writing each one? Do I mention the tests that Avraham had to pass, in order to fully conceptualize my idea for the Akeda? Or do I write about the guests from a fun and whimsical perspective?

Or how about a third option?

Well, my friends, it turned out that all my cards fell on that third option. But what was that one?

To write about the famed word Avraham Avinu uses when Hashem asks him to commence with the Akeda: הנני - Hineni, I am here!

That word itself means so much. At that point in Avraham's life, he has been tested nine times already, each test different and with great devotion and faith he passed each one, showcasing to the world his love for Hashem. Now, when faced with the challenge of offering his own son, the one who Hashem promised that his descendants will come forth from him, as a Korban (sacrifice) to Hashem, he taps into his faith and proclaims "הנני"- he says "I am here, I am ready, to do your will Hashem," showcasing superhuman faith and belief in G-d.

That word was his expression of his faith, and in some way, all these generations later, it is ours, too. When we are called upon to become better, to do what is right, we whisper this word, and find the strength to succeed.

That is what I wanted to convey with this weeks' poem.

So with a prayer to Hashem, I began to write and after some time the finished product was ready to share.

I hope you enjoy it.

Your friend,

Yitzy Schweitzer
To follow the poem via recording click here

Parasha From a Poets Perspective: Parashas Vayera - Hineni

Some days, life feels so colourless,
Like the paints and pictures have become monochrome and bland,
Some days, He is hiding, we just can’t seem to find Him,
But yet we believe in Him, we await to know the truth of His plan.

Sometimes, life asks questions we are unprepared for,
Our answers become shallow, our voices become quiet,
In those moments we feel tested, we feel as though we are being interrogated,
But Hashem gives us the strength to pass these hurdles, a strength of peace and silence.

Our strength, our resolve hides in just one word,
One word that our forefather said when faced with a challenge, a quest, a difficulty,
He stood with pride, and exclaimed in joy,
When G-d tested him, he responded, “Hineni”, I am here, I am ready.

From the start, he was tested,
Yet he met each challenge the same,
In his mind, in his heart, the word was his rhyme and reason,
He was there, he was ready, to praise and spread the light of G-ds Holy Name,

That strength to carry out G-ds will,
To believe in the bigger picture when the full painting was seemingly incomplete,
Has been passed on to generations, until this very day,
Our hearts carry his message, even when the colours seem bleak.

The full picture is but to be revealed soon,
Until then only a fraction of it will we ever truly see,
But when life calls upon us, to do what is right and true,
Still, until the end, we will stand and proclaim “Hineni”