80 - For Readiness

The Haggadah tells us "In every generation, each of us should feel as though we ourselves had gone forth from Egypt."  This psalm can be read on the Shabbat before Pesach, as we think about what happened to us in the time before our leaving Egypt and as we prepare for the festival we will soon celebrate.

About these three psalms for Pesach

Eighty

For Readiness

In this final week before our redemption,
You bring signs and wonders:
One Finger, one Hand, two Hands of the Eternal
To untie us from the firmly knotted harness.

In that final week of fearful preparations,
When You showed Pharaoh Your power,
How could we comprehend terrors that appeared,
Surrounding us as well?

Numbed by our burdens, we looked for You
As we packed our simple possessions;
Numbed today by new terrors, we muffle our lives
With comforts, pushing You away.

And our hearts are hard as Pharaoh’s,
As obeying current slaves,
We prepare our homes and neglect our souls;
We sweep the shelves clean, but look aside.

In this week of preparation, Eternal One,
Point us toward the burdens You call us to accept,
Taking them up willingly
Beginning to create a new place of wonder.

Prepare us, Eternal One, for the walk to freedom;
Prepare us to cut the binding of our fears,
To find the calm within the terror,
And hold it in our palm.