When you look in the mirror,
What do you see?
Is it beauty that defines
Your identity?
Is it wealth, poise,
Or affluence?
Your unique talents,
Or fashion sense?
Is that self-worth diminished
With the signs of age,
Or have you satisfaction
As you turn each page?
In Mitzrayim, our mothers
Held the keys,
Their trust in Hashem stronger
Than Pharaoh’s decrees;
Simple mirrors of copper
Played a pivotal role,
Humble reflections
Of beautiful souls,
Miskashetes, self-adornment,
Shares the same root
As the word keshot
Aramaic for truth.
Downtrodden slaves,
The Hebrew women
Refused to forget
G-d’s promise was true;
He would redeem them yet,
Darkened faces of royalty
In the copper mirrors there,
Shone a nation’s bright future
In the depths of despair.
Moshe hesitated
To utilize
The copper from those mirrors;
But, in Hashem’s eyes,
It was most precious,
Reflecting faith,
Steadfast and pure,
Built HaKadosh Baruch Hu’s legions,
Knowing redemption would be sure.
In the Sinai,
The mixed multitude
Were unable to finagle
The jewelry from the women
To build the cheit ha’eigel.
These same women,
Their commitment, sine qua non,
Gladly gave their jewelry
To build the Mishkan.
Rosh Chodesh given
To the women
To celebrate this,
Their bitachon again saved
Our nation from the abyss.
The moon, itself, is a mirror;
It reflects the sun’s light,
It shines with the brightness
That’s hidden by the night;
The moon again emerges
On Rosh Chodesh,
Looking to a brighter future,
Israel begins afresh,
A time of promise,
The next chapter,
New beginnings in store.
May HaKadosh Baruch Hu renew
With goodness, Israel evermore.
When you look in the mirror,
Hope that you like the view,
Hope that enduring spirit
Still resides in you;
When clarity is missing,
Direction obscured,
May you dispel the darkness,
Keeping faith and looking forward.
By Sharon Marcus
