Parashat Tetzaveh
Prayer for Preserving our Divine
Image by Dressing Modestly
Hashem thank you for filling my wardrobe with colorful attire.
I appreciate the varied outfits You allowed me to acquire.
Although I am not much of a buyer,
I possess all the dresses I desire.
May the awareness of You help me prevail
not to be tempted to buy everything on sale!
Strengthen me to succeed and not to fail,
to reveal only my face but never my tail.
Not minding making the old look new,
I pray to dress in a way that honors You,
grazed by silky fabric of the perfect hue,
above all the color of Your sky so blue.
Through proper clothes, I yearn You to extol,
by expressing the garments of my soul.
Although it is not entirely in my control,
I wish to preserve my divine image whole.
May no wild strand of hair from my covering glide,
and let no treetop make my headscarf become untied!
Don’t let my clothing cause me from Your Face to slide!
By the intricate rules of modesty, I desire to abide.
Like Aharon whom You ordered to dress in glory,
the way we dress spins the threads of our life story!
Help me go through my wardrobe and make an inventory,
sharing what no longer serves me, without feeling sorry!
I pray that my modest dress won’t cause any divide.
Don’t think I am ashamed or have anything to hide.
You taught me to carry myself with dignity and pride,
for “All the honor of a king’s daughter remains inside.”
I appreciate the varied outfits You allowed me to acquire.
Although I am not much of a buyer,
I possess all the dresses I desire.
May the awareness of You help me prevail
not to be tempted to buy everything on sale!
Strengthen me to succeed and not to fail,
to reveal only my face but never my tail.
Not minding making the old look new,
I pray to dress in a way that honors You,
grazed by silky fabric of the perfect hue,
above all the color of Your sky so blue.
Through proper clothes, I yearn You to extol,
by expressing the garments of my soul.
Although it is not entirely in my control,
I wish to preserve my divine image whole.
May no wild strand of hair from my covering glide,
and let no treetop make my headscarf become untied!
Don’t let my clothing cause me from Your Face to slide!
By the intricate rules of modesty, I desire to abide.
Like Aharon whom You ordered to dress in glory,
the way we dress spins the threads of our life story!
Help me go through my wardrobe and make an inventory,
sharing what no longer serves me, without feeling sorry!
I pray that my modest dress won’t cause any divide.
Don’t think I am ashamed or have anything to hide.
You taught me to carry myself with dignity and pride,
for “All the honor of a king’s daughter remains inside.”
Based on the Book of Shemot Chapter 28
ספר שמות פרק
כח פסוק ב וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת:
ה) וְהֵם
יִקְחוּ אֶת הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת וְאֶת הָאַרְגָּמָן וְאֶת תּוֹלַעַת
הַשָּׁנִי וְאֶת הַשֵּׁשׁ:
“You shall make for Aharon, your brother,
holy garments for honor and for glory…They shall take the gold, the sky-blue,
the purple, the scarlet, and the white linen.” (Shemot 28:2, 28:5)
ספר דברים פרק
כג פסוק טו כִּי הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶךָ
לְהַצִּילְךָ וְלָתֵת אֹיְבֶיךָ לְפָנֶיךָ וְהָיָה מַחֲנֶיךָ קָדוֹשׁ וְלֹא
יִרְאֶה בְךָ עֶרְוַת דָּבָר וְשָׁב מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ:
“For Hashem, your G-d, goes along in the
midst of your camp, to rescue you and to deliver your enemies before you. [Therefore,]
your camp shall be holy so that He should not see anything unseemly among you
and would turn away from you” (Devarim 23:15).
ספר תהילים
פרק מה פסוק יד כָּל כְּבוּדָּה בַת מֶלֶךְ פְּנִימָה
מִמִּשְׁבְּצוֹת זָהָב לְבוּשָׁהּ:
“All
honor [awaits] the King’s daughter who is within; her raiment is superior to
settings of gold” (Tehillim 45:14).
ספר משלי פרק
לא פסוק כב מַרְבַדִּים עָשְׂתָה לָּהּ שֵׁשׁ וְאַרְגָּמָן לְבוּשָׁהּ:
“Luxurious bedspreads she made herself, fine linen
and purple wool are her clothing” (Mishlei 31:22).
ספר משלי פרק לא פסוק כה עוֹז וְהָדָר לְבוּשָׁהּ וַתִּשְׂחַק לְיוֹם אַחֲרוֹן:
“Strength and
Majesty is her garments, and she laughs at the very last day” (Mishlei
31:25).
Wonderful poem!! And I'll contribute one here too on this topic in case it's helpful to someone :)
ReplyDeleteFragile Wings
by Bracha Goetz
Where was the freedom promised?
Where was the open sky?
Come on and meet the prisoner,
Who thought that she could fly.
Religious girls in summer,
Blouses buttoned high.
I'd see long skirts, with stockings,
As I would pass them by.
I'd laugh inside me, mocking,
The girls I used to see.
Those girls are missing so much.
How trapped could people be?
But how could I have known then,
Jogging through summer rain,
I strode past them, uncovered,
In years before the pain.
Those girls kept their wings hidden,
And my own wings got crushed.
Why did I jump too quickly?
Why was my childhood rushed?
Crystalline wings they treasured,
Even at that young age.
My wings, I learned, were fragile,
When I hit bars inside the cage.
My wings have long been broken.
Can they still be healed?
Those girls now fly past rainbows.
Tell me, how does it feel?
Inside, I'm thrashing lamely.
Can I get free?
Now that I see the picture -
Reversed, ironically.
Where was the freedom promised?
Where was the open sky?
Here I am. Meet the prisoner,
Who thought that she could fly.
Bracha Goetz is the author of 40 books to help children’s souls shine. They can be found here: www.goetzbookshop.com