Exile for the Sake of Redemption

The way a teacher, standing at the blackboard,
chalk in hand,
suddenly withdraws into himself
to follow the comet tail
of a thought
more profound than he has ever known—
then, after a long pause,
opens his eyes and returns
to his classroom
to share his discovery
with his students

is the way, the mystics say,
God seemingly recedes
back into Himself
until suddenly,
after centuries,
redemption comes,
and a Divine light—
more radiant than the world
has ever known—
illuminates the universe
that thought it had been forsaken.

“Exile for the Sake of Redemption,” copyright © 2024 by Yehoshua November. Reprinted from The Concealment of Endless Light by permission of Orison Books, Inc. All rights reserved. (orisonbooks.com)