There is a light, fixed in the front above the ark where all eyes can meet it
Ner tamid. the everlasting light
The flame, the bulb, which never ceases to glow
A light to represent the presence of god in this place.
Even in power failure- ner tamid has its own source.
the eternal flame never goes dark- Even when darkness enters this place.
bullets ricochet past Men, women and children,
backs turned as they face the Lord
Who dare bring this darkness??
Who dare attack these souls in prayer?
In Charleston, Quebec City, and now Pittsburgh
Who dare disturb these souls in prayer?
Hatred. Blind, misunderstanding,
I’d-rather-shoot-you-than-get-to-know-you-hatred.
Breeding in the darkest corners of our society
Feeding on the distances between us, conspiracies, and lies as old as time
This hatred
armed with an AR15
Shouting words nearly as painful as his bullets
Brought darkness to this holy place.
But in this darkness,
Ner tamid, the eternal light
Flickers through.
Barely tearing through smoke and screams
Ner tamid stays alive.
Just as we, brothers and sisters- regardless of who you worship in your holy space
We stay alive.
Our eternal flame will not be extinguished
Our fight will never falter.
Our ner tamid cannot go dark until we have banished the darkness
Keep the light burning
Keep the flame alive
As bullets of rain hit our fiery souls
We’ll hiss and sputter but never, ever die
If we stand together
As we are tonight
Not just in times of mourning
But always, forever
The combined light of our souls
Will finally be enough.
Blessed be their memories.