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.