Khol: The Voice of All, A Personal Teshuvah
For Dr. Betsy Dolgin Katz – my teacher, my personal rabbanit, my Mom
Gratitude to Rabbi David Seidenberg, author of Kabbalah and Ecology: God’s Image in the More-Than-Human World
the cosmic microwave background radiation
13.7 billion years old
remnant of creation
ubiquitous
it is awe-inspiring
listening to it on youtube
experiencing firsthand the creation event
its sound
emitted by the titanic cosmological explosion in the beginning
carried in the medium between there and then to here and now
stretched by expanding spacetime
filtered by countless particles of cosmic dust
reduced in amplitude over eons and light years
transduced in frequency and wavelength
into a quiet, soft voice
scientists across the globe
attend to this message
seeking knowledge and understanding
to aid us in our lives today
Torah
ageless, ancient scripture
its opening words
a remnant of Creation
as the most widely selling book worldwide
ubiquitous
it is awe-inspiring
reading its verses
experiencing firsthand the creation event
the verses
start in the beginning of all things
deemed written by the hand of God
transmitted over time generation to generation
carried over history from the then and there to the here and now
elaborated upon by expanded understanding
filtered through history
transduced in word and letter via utterance
into a quiet, soft Voice
readers across the globe
attend to its messages
seeking hope, knowledge and understanding
to aid us in our lives today
in the spirit of this week’s celebration of Rosh Hashana
the Jewish New Year
when the birth of the world is celebrated
the quiet, soft Voice in Torah
can be heard
at the completion of the world’s creation:
“And God saw all (khol) that had been made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The heaven and the earth were completed (vayekhulu), and all (khol) their hosts.
On the seventh day God completed (vayekhal) the work that had been undertaken: [God] ceased on the seventh day from doing all (mikhol) of the work.
And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy―having ceased on it from all (mikhol) the work of creation that God had done.”
six times the Voice cries out in various forms a word that means “all” and “complete”
six times does the Voice call out―once for each day of creation; once for each “and God saw that it was good” in emphasis of a completeness, a completeness that God calls “very good”
six times does the word tear through and draw us close.
khol…vayekhulu…khol…vayekhal…mikhol…mikhol
the Voice
expanding outward and forward in time and text
past the circling swords at the east side of the garden
from Creation in Torah
to resound within the prayer of the Shma
“Love Hashem with all (khol) your heart, and with all (khol) your soul, and with all (khol) your strength.”
three “khols” of Shma
recited
twice daily
once in the evening and once in the morning
six times do the khols of Creation echo in the present
echoes
of the Unity of all
propagating from Creation into the now
from forgetfulness into mindfulness
then in our utterance of the prayer
we truly become
one with
Hashem
knowledge of Oneness
all Creation
btzelem Elohim
the image of God
co-creators
to serve and keep
the quiet, small Voice
וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ
Love Hashem
בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥
With all your heart
love
in the cry of your heart
as part of the khol, part of the One
וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖
with all your soul
the soul given to you in compassion by the Creator
love, serve
with the voice of the Creator
resonating within your soul
out though your lips
as part of the khol, part of the One
וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
with all your strength
love, serve, keep
do all that you can for the entirety of Creation
as part of the khol, part of the One
Let these words commanded of us by Hashem be on our hearts to impassion our commitment to that which is most good. Teach them to our children, engage with Creation in this moment and in all moments, and support our ecotheological system always; when you sit in your home, deciding whether to check your email, watch TV or browse the Internet; when you walk on your way, whether the path is along city streets, or whether it is a forest path; with a friend, or in solitude; when you lie down, and when you rise up. Let words of Torah guide your actions, let them be present within your soul, and let them be written as reminders around you guiding your every relationship with people, the Creator, and the more than human world.