Chants, Shir HaShirim

Against the Terror of Night: Ish charbo

Ish charbo al y’raycho mipachad balaylot

Each with a sword on his thigh
Against the terror of night. (Song of Songs 3:8)

I hold the sword of Truth close, in the moments I may need to cut through the illusions of separateness, finitude, isolation. In moments when I am paralyzed by the terror of night, the terror of not seeing a way forward, I need to find my strength, my vision, my powerful imagination, and my courage. Then, I can relax my heart, release my fears and enter this night with a confident song. This is what it means to be a spiritual warrior.

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