Eye of the Storm by Sorah Rosenblatt

Eye of the Storm by Sorah Rosenblatt

I told you that I spent several Shabbats ago reading through Sorah Rosenblatt’s (AKA Rena Lewis’) wonderful collection of poetry Memo to Self. Here are two more of my favorites…

EYE OF THE STORM

“Mommy, sign this note.”
“Mommy, I need eight shekels.”
“Mommy, what did you do
with my other shoe?”
(Goodness! Is the little one still sleeping?
In ten minutes, his school bus is due!)

“Mommy, where did you put my notebook?”
“Yech, I don’t want cheese and olives
on my bread
I want chocolate spread instead.”
(Gracious! Is the big boy still in bed?
“Wake up! You’ll miss the minyan, sleepyhead!”)

“Mommy, could you just iron my skirt?”
“Could you just sew the button on my shirt?”
“Mommy, where did you put my brush?”
Whoosh, all in a rush,
they’re out the door.
Silence.

The lull after the storm before.
The house looks post-tornado.
Her head spins.
She takes her siddur
in her hand,
begins.

HEALTH WARNING

So many ba’alei teshuvos
“throw out the baby
with the bathwater.”
I did.

I wanted to junk
all my treif past,
wanted to make a thorough
job of it.
So I threw out everything.
Including me.
That was scary
(very),
not to be there anymore.
Don’t make
my mistake.
Throw out all the dirty water, yes.
But hold onto that baby.

9 comments

  1. Really enjoy these, thank you for sharing

  2. I WANT THE BOOK!!! Couldn’t find anywhere online! I know it’s out of print but aren’t there used copies lurking around??? Whom at feldheim can I ask to reprint???

    • JewishMom

      I don’t know. maybe put something on your neighborhood list– there must be people who have copies. I found a copy in a library in tsfat if you want details. don’t know whom to contact at feldheim…

  3. Health warning very powerful. I could have written it myself! The thing is, knowing what your ‘baby’ is. I used to call this beginning process giving yourself up for Hashem, and the later, healthier version is giving of your SELF to Hashem, knowing who YOU are and making your avoda unique and personal.

  4. Sima Shain

    Amazing woman! So much to learn from her! Thanks so much for sharing.

    Your weekly post is such chizuk for n’shei yisroel Chazak Ve’ematz!

  5. can you please share her poem about her children’s blue eyes? i saw it years ago & loved it! thanks!

    • JewishMom

      I’m not familiar with that one

      • she’s filling out passport applications for her kids. she has to write their eye color & she poetically describes each kid’s eyes but in the end all she can do is fill in the line with “blue”

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