Corner Stone

by Rabbi Pamela Frydman © 2009

אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים הָיְתָה לרֹאשׁ פִּנָה

 

The stone,

The stone,

Turned by Rebekah from the mouth of the cistern

Before she descended to bring water

For Damesek Eliezer and the camels

That came to carry her

To Canaan.

 

The stone,

The stone,

Taught in the sling

That killed Goliath.

 

The stones,

The stones,

Buried in the river.

Twelve for the tribes

Crossing on dry land

In an unknown miracle

Overshadowed by the crossing

Of the Sea of Reeds.

 

Rebekah married her beloved Isaac

On the merit of the stone she rolled

In answer to the servant’s prayer.

 

David protected his people Israel

From Philistine power

Through the aim of a stone.

 

Joshua crossed the River Jordan

To bring his people

To their land.

 

The corner is strongest

In the frame of our mind’s eye,

The most conspicuous

In the frame of our heart’s search,

The most beloved

In the frame of love lost and then found.

 

The corner stone,

The stone from which all others

Turn to left and right

And up and down

And back, into the heart of God.