A Psalm for Closing the Day - Psalm 134

by Doug Floyd

Everywhere he looked, “glory.” This autumn sunset marked finale with a stream of gold
soaking on every tree, every home, every person. The end was at hand, and the world
transfigured into halls of heaven before his eyes.

For the past seven days, Mikhail had celebrated sukkot with his family and his village.
His people sang songs of praise unto HaShem for blessing the harvest. His people
entered into the sojourn of ancient Israel, traveling across the wilderness and into the
Promised Land.

During times of abundance and during times of lack, his people trusted in the Holy One
to sustain them. During times of joy and during times of suffering, his people sang
songs, prayed prayers and lived in humble obedience to the word of Torah.

Tonight as all things came to an end, Mikhail and the people would gather to hear the
final words of Torah, the commands of Moses preparing his people to enter into the
Promised Land. Tonight as sukkot faded into Simchat Torah, the people would rejoice in
HaShem’s wondrous gift of Torah to His people.

HaShem gathered, remembered and sustained his people through Torah. When their
world seemed to be unraveling, Genesis reminded them that HaShem created all things
and had the power to sustain them. Exodus rehearsed the call from slavery to salvation
and HaShem’s unstoppable mercy in the midst of their stumbling steps. Leviticus
reminded them that they were a priestly people called to stand before HaShem on
behalf of all nations and to stand before all nations on behalf of HaShem. Numbers
captured the great and faithful guidance of HaShem across the wilderness.
Deuteronomy prepared them to go forth as a strong and courageous people with the gift
of God’s wisdom to live in the land.

These stories and prayers and commands gave order and hope to Mikhail’s little village.
Like their forefathers of old, they seemed like a small insignificant group of struggling
people, yet they lived and walked and danced before the Creator of all things. They
existed because of His good pleasure and they could rest in His lovingkindness.

Their suffering simply echoed the suffering of their ancestors, and HaShem walked in
the midst of the dark and the light days. Tonight they rejoiced in His gift.

The scrolls of Torah encircled the dancing congregation and the people sang and
danced and laughed and rejoiced in the goodness of HaShem. The rebbe stood before
the house and prayer and faced the people, singing,
Come, bless the L-rd, all you servants of the L-rd,
who stand by night in the house of the L-rd!
Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the L-rd!

The congregation erupted in shouts of praise for the great gift of light, of truth, of
wisdom proceeding from the holy mountain of G-d. All the people sang aloud,

May the L-rd bless you from Zion,

he who made heaven and earth!

Like the earth in flight, the people spent the last 12 months circling through the wisdom
of Torah. Tonight as the final words are read, they return to Genesis, back to the
beginning, back to the creation, back to Garden.

Mikhail remembered this night as the time when his people seemed grow young again.
All the world seemed fresh like a newborn babe. Even as he prepared his heart for the
end, he felt as though he stepped into the beginning of all things.

Tonight he stepped back into this world of childlike wonder and faith. The stars overhead
and the dust beneath his feet all seemed to join in the dance of the family of God. Joy
pulsed through his veins as music echoed from his soul. Like the Hasidim of old, his
people lost all sense of time as minutes turned to hours and mourning turned to
rejoicing.

In the last hours of the night, a few people remained awake. A few people continued
talking and remembering. Mikhail sat in the midst listening, soaking, breathing in the life
of his people. This communion of hearts burned like a living fire: a fire that had passed
from parent to child for centuries and longer.

As the sun dawned over the distant hillside, he knew this life was finally over. He shed
tears of joy with his people as he prepared to leave for Palestine. He would probably
never see them again. But golden fire of their song would burn within and he would join
that fire to the fire of his brothers and sisters from other villages in distant lands who all
had traveled home to the land of his fathers.

Today Mikhail entered into the sojourn of ancient Israel, traveling across the sea and
into the Promised Land.