Bridging the Gap
Between Deuteronomy 15:4 and 15:11
(I encourage you to read Deuteronomy 15:4-11 before reading my poem)
By Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs
I find in Deuteronomy
A glorious proclamation:
“There shall be no needy among you
In any land or nation!” (15:4)
What a wonderful vision that is!
If only it were true,
But I note a few lines further
We have much work to do
“The poor will never cease to be,” (15:11)
The very next paragraph reads.
How can two such different views
Be almost rubbing knees?
The answer lies between
The conflicting thoughts we heard,
But we must follow closely
And take to heart God’s words!
There will be no poor who languish!
That will ONLY happen if,
All of us work together
To bridge the gaping rift!
The rift between those who have
And those whose shelves are bare;
Between those whose larders overflow
And those with nothing there.
You, who are hearing me today,
Are comfortable no doubt.
But all too many on God’s earth,
Sadly, do without!
Without a home to keep them dry
No clothes that keep them warm,
In snow and sleet and wind and rain,
And every passing storm.
Others strive just to exist
Without enough to eat
Try feeding five on minimum wage.
That’s surely no mean feat.
Can our hearts make room for them?
Our bounty share at least?
It’s just not right that some have nil
While others freely feast!
Scripture’s charge to us is clear:
There is still much to be done,
Before our world and God’s will
Truly become one!
Yes. we all know the time’s not near
When ALL will heed God’s wish
So those of us who really care
Must step up to the dish.
We can only thank God properly
With hearts and hands unfurled
When we embrace God’s charge to us:
Repair this broken world!
Finding Ourselves In The Bible 
Indeed, Dear Rabbi Fuchs:
Without ideals, goals, and values, we are indeed nothing.
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
~ Matthew 22:14
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Thank you, Mark! I believe we can all be chosen if we choose to be!
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Indeed, Rabbi, that is most certainly the truth …. There is so much clutter, distraction, and so many sources of which effectively divert (and consume the energies inherent in) one’s ability to attend to the issues of the spirit ….
…. I retrospectively thank G-d for the chronic illness of befell me as a child, of which I was wrapped up in, which allowed me to channel my attention, in that light ….
…. A greater good at a later point in time: the foundational pre-requisite quality required for investing ( ❤ ).
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Seeing through the clutter is so difficult, Mark! That you can look back with gratitude on a childhood illness and the lessons you learned from it is most impressive to me.
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A charming poem, Stephen. 🙂
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Thank you so much, Susan!
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