By Joseph Fleischman

As the weeks lead up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and  thoughts turn to regrets, repentance and renewal , I am reminded of a poem I composed during a visit to Jerusalem.  Joseph Fleischman

Stop
any moment
In the tunnel alongside the wall
Near the only spot
By which
Every presupposition we move or
Every infirmity in flesh or ill thought we own
Was given the Sacred Answer,
That we are here and that we understand  enough.

Yea, even nothingness,
Not normally perturbed by the panic that  precedes it,
Was vanquished by this place that  controlled it.
Meaninglessness denied at the catharsis.
Like a joint, it was the axle around which  the world spinned –
This holiest of Holies.

Warren’s Arch lures wonder.
Its charms invite dreamers and stir those  who are asleep.
Buried beneath centuries it implores,
What grand expiation availed itself through  this brown portico door?
And something more – communion –
By one solitary soul in a specific space
On behalf of every single member of the  human race.

The deep past calls.
This is where priests walked.

How have the people changed?
The you, the I, however shaped or distorted  was offered
A clean approach, given another chance.
And too, the Nation.
Here nostalgia yields to humility that,
as they have been before,
Prayers are heard still,
And sentiment cedes to the great relief
That we are not alone.
Here tears easily flow,
Even overflow their cup.

*Warren’s Arch, also known as Warren’s Gate, is an archeological site located along the underground temple tour adjacent to the kotel or ‘wailing wall’ in Jerusalem. It is understood to be the closest existing spot to the “kadosh ha kadoshim” – the holy of holies – within the ancient temple.

Joseph Fleischman lives in New Haven with his wife, Reva.

Readers are invited to submit original work on a topic of their choosing to Kolot. Submissions should be sent to judiej@jewishledger.com.