The Neila

Jacques Taraboulos

1945

The end of the day approaches.
The Book of Life and Death
is about to be closed,
and the hand of God will inscribe
the destiny of man.
It hesitates, trembles, stops.
A voice, sweet and frail,
an imperceptible murmur,
rises toward the firmament;
it is a young Jew who prays.
His soul, hurled toward Heaven,
reaches the Holy of Holies.
The Ark is…
Please login or register for free access to Posen Library
Register
Already have an account?
Engage with this Source

Creator Bio

Jacques Taraboulos

1919–2011

Jacques Taraboulos was born in Cairo and studied at the Collegio Rabbinico of Rhodes and at the École rabbinique de Paris. Taraboulos then lived in Elizabethville in the Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), where, with Robert Joseph Cohen, he wrote for and published the series Études juives, writing about Jews of the Middle Ages and discussing the religions of the Middle East. The destruction of Jewish lives during the Holocaust affected his outlook, and his poems are collected in the undated work Poèmes tristes (Melancholy Poems).

You may also like

The Call of the Wandering Jew

Hot lava flows in my veins to-night,    My nerves are jangling mad, The Joy of Life is a tinsel gaud,    The sweetest songs sound sad. I feel the drag of the Wanderlust,    I see the ghosts stream by…
View Source

Kriza

The Woman:I married him and he never gave me any trouble. His mother, she lives with us here. This house is his mother’s house. When we are there, together, in the other room, she lights candles here…
View Source
Wood chair inscribed with figures.
Tooltip info icon

Elijah’s Chair

Traditionally, the prophet Elijah is believed to be present at all Jewish circumcision ceremonies, and a chair is reserved for him. It serves as the seat of the godfather, who holds the baby boy…
View Source