El-ginnat egoz yarad’ti lirot b’ibay hanachal

I went down to the nut grove,
To see the new green by the brook. (Song of Songs 6:11)

We usually go up to a higher place to see… but sometimes we need to go down. We need to descend into our own depths and use a different kind of vision to penetrate the complexities within. We enter the nut grove with an eye toward cracking that nut whose hard exterior hides a delicious treasure. And our inner journey takes us to the nachal, which is a kind of stream that flows intermittently. (The Arabic word would be a wadi; the Spanish word, an arroyo.) The “new green” that sprouts up in that nachal is mysterious and miraculous… . found only by those who have the insight and courage to “go down” and explore the hidden places.

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• Going Down To See (melody)  
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