The complex dating life of a JFK Jew... (A Poem)

Lost in a world...

In between these different cultures and groups who seem to be just one step away from being my kind of life.
Wandering and wondering if the search will ever end,
From one side of the world to another,
I meet one,
Another,
A day or two goes by, 
I find myself at home in Israel but the jacket just almost fits and I go back to New York.

A blandstone encounter, a shoe size too small,
One that doesn’t have the half sizes, 
In search of the perfect fit...

When they say “it fits like a glove”
That’s what I’m looking for,
To acquire something I really love. 
To cherish and hold,
For years and decades,
To pass onto my children,
A gift,
A date,
A dinner party with friends,
My adamantly irreligious best friend,
And my Breslov best buddy,
All sitting side by side,
But somehow I can’t find my fit,
I just don’t fit into any box,
And I really don’t think I should...

It’s just we need to align with life,
In the way that’s unique to our mission,
And all my experiences that shape who I am cannot be left behind,
And my outlook on life is such a good one I can’t leave anything behind,
Especially, to fit in.
So I don’t have a box,
I’m unique,
And uniqueness is hard to find in this time,
A generation of drones,
Sizing you up,
Asking & stating,
What you are by where you’re from,
And what you do...

But who you are,
That’s what really matters,
Not your affiliations or religious observance,
When you go down to the deepest level of existence, what you'll find,
When in existential crisis where do you run,
Who are the ones you turn to when everything goes south?
Who is your tribe?
With who can you be your unfiltered self?

When setting out to find a mate,
A girl,
A divine feminine godly person,
A real woman with motherly instincts,
That gets you,
That vibes with you,
And sees you for who you are,
Seek not the one who will put you in a box,
Or hardline the reality as she sees it,
Life is about blurring the lines of the present to create a better future, 

Taking yourself out of the center, and making room for someone else,

A bright light like a lighthouse in the distance,
Matzah Isha Matzah Tov,
Lo Tov Heyot Adam Levado,
Find a woman, discover the good,
A man is not better off alone,
The words of my rabbi, my spiritual guide,
Ring true, and transcend deep into my realty,
As I continue my journey,
Still alone, with my creaor. 

As I walk into a synagogue they greet me with smiles but the questions remain the same,
Where are you from?
What do you do?
And what sect or denomination are you?
What if I am in an ever evolving denomination of tradition and revision?
And isn’t it where you’re going that matters more?

Half Sephardic, ex yeshivish unorthodox chassidish, 
FFB-OTD-BT if you will,
SSSK, I eat vegan out by the way, but SN is not me, And kol isha won’t kill me,

Good luck selling that to a Jewish American princess,
And I love Israel but won’t make Aliya, cause it’s a socialist country and that ain’t my America,
And I speak Hebrew but I’m not Israeli,
So that wouldn’t work either,
And I love Shabbat but not keeping it so much (I do),
My spiritual observance is a volatile asset but my relationship to god is a serious constant,
Kind of like the 200 day moving average,
And when the index breaks out it goes to the moon...

So if I had to tell you, or choose a way to say,
Who I am and what kind of Jew,
I’d say more like traditional,
And people friendly,
With Chabad affiliation, and Breslov inspiration,
I’ll go 100 miles an hour into Shabbat, but I’ll go to the mikvah,
And I’ll never date a Shiksah, or a mamzeirah,
And I learn Kabbalah,
But not so much Halacha,
Except for the rambam,
And the entire Torah,
Tehillim and Tanya,
Tamar Devorah,
Not likutei mohoran,
But Sefer hamidos is the bomb...

Did I loose you yet?
If so, just so you know,
You’re like half the other girls,
I met in the past year,
And if you’re a guy,
Just ride the tide,
Cause I’m very high vibe,
And it doesn’t really matter how I jive,
Or what I read for godly inspiration,
Cause at the end of the day,
We’re all human,
And created equal,
And it’s not about what you do or what you read,
And the girls should know that too,
That life is a slippery slope & one wrong move can cast you away,
So don’t stray,
Or fall pray,
To the world that needs to see a certain type of guy, girl, or woman or man,
The hat you wear and the job you have, are nothing in the eyes of love,

Sure there are values,
But, when the daughters of Israel would dance in the vineyards,
They wore each other’s clothes,
And dressed in white,
So you wouldn't ask who’s who,
Or what’s what,
Just breaking through to the human experience,
Of Adam & Eve meeting in Eden. 
Cause that's what it really is,
Especially when you meet someone organically,
The stars align and the conversation takes off,
And there ya go,
No need to treck down a path to nowhere with matchmakers and a resume, cause at the end of the day, god has the ultimate say,
Of who you’ll meet,
And when you’ll find...

The other half of your higher self,
Your time travel partner reunited from heaven...

The soul comes down and cries on the journey,
Anticipating the pain in the world of tikkun,
Tikkun Olam do you know that one?
It’s not the worst thing if you don’t,
Any transliterated terminology can googled with tap, Or a click,
And with every tick of every clock there’s a potential match made by heaven,
Hakadosh Baruch Hu Mezaveg Zivugim,
And god sees time from an areal perspective.

So, don’t be bothered deterred or bewildered,
Just focus on yourself and the best will come,
Focus on the work and the money will come,
And if you accept everyone, without judging anyone,

That’s the best kind of world to live in...

And when someone judges you it comes from a lower frequency,
Close minded energy, and quite frankly blasphemy…
I don’t think I’m perfect and that’s not what I search for,
Cause if you’ve really perfected everything in your life, You’d already have a tomb stone,
Like some of my friends who died so young,
It was too much light for the world to contain,
The aim is to tame, and retain, your spiritual growth, so its lasting for years...
And there is reward for a life well lived,
With ups & downs and twists and turns,
And if you’re a one love hippy who works in finance,
Or a dead head entrepreneur, you might be alone Because you’re so stubbornly unique...

But one thing's for sure, that settles my kind,
Is when you bring to mind,
Universal synchronicity, that you’re exactly where you need to be,
And everything is meticulously, planned for you from above... To complete your mission...

And if someone says otherwise,
Drop them like a hat,
And move on your way,
Cause that’s the day,
That you need to say,
Enough is enough,
And I don’t need to put up,
With the worlds of people,
Who walk around aimlessly,
Pinned to a job,
Or a house,
Or a wife,
That they despise,
Afraid to realize,
That life is worth living,
And you are one choice away from a completely different life,
And if you want to see the change, then be the change!
You do have free choice after all...

So divorce is not what I’m saying,
Is the solution for everyone,
Or to quit your job and run to Barbados,
But start that business, and push the limits, of what you can do,
And buy a ten euro coffee in Burj al Arab!
And check what prices are on castles in France,
Or parcels of land in  the West Bank...

Think outside the box,
And don’t be afraid of those who don’t,
And dig as deep as you can, to answer those questions,
Of who you are,
What you love,
Where you’re going,
And what kind of life you want to live...

But remember we’re ever evolving,
And if not, we’re stagnating bugs infesting this planet,
Leaching the blood of the hard working mammals, the farmers and cattle…

So if you make a bracha but date a shiksah,
Remember to put on T’fillin...

And if you smoke a joint on Shabbos night,
Just remember the next morning is a bright new day,
And you can always start a new,
And with that kind of mindset nothing can stop you...

I write from a place of pain, but also enlightenment,
Of the simple fact that god, is an ever loving being of infinite kindness,
And the reason he created us is to receive from his goodness,
And your parents won’t disown you just cause you don’t agree,
Or don’t align, with the values defined in the shrine, of your Judaic bloodline...

Remember, that god is above all that,
And you were created to understand that,
And find your true calling,
Based on you, and what you bring to the table,
To contribute,
To fix,
To perfect,
And to extend the gift of god’s love to others...

So don’t be dismayed,
Or feel played,
If the world doesn’t bring you what you’re looking for today,
Seek and you shall find, is rooted in Christianity, and the seven hermetic principals,
And some say it was Moses who brought those into being,
But even Hesus,
A Jew who strayed so far,
Somehow got a billion plus people to believe in god, even my rabbi agreed with me on that, how much more can each and everyone of us do!

Don’t add to the Torah,
Don’t follow a false prophet,
It’s all true but that’s something to say for him...
And Buddhism? Ain’t that bad either,
Just don’t bow down to a far eastern shrine,
And take the good,
And if it helps you live a life of nirvana,
So be it...
But remember you’re the chosen one, the son of god with a blueprint for life called the Torah,
Banim Atem L’Hashem Elokeichem,
And I quote Deuteronomy when I say,
That even Yushka was a son of god,
And if you google that word you’ll find Ukrainian soup,
And all that’s left of Ancient Greece, is feta cheese and Kalamata,
Oh right,
And the democracy, that plagues Israel with homosexuality...

And I’m not homophobic, I just know it,
That people were created to reproduce,
And if you’re born a klepto are you allowed to steal!?
So I’m not against homosexuals,
But understand it’s a defect and a mutation,
And even Darwin would agree,
That that type of species will not live on,
And it also leads to pedophilia and worse,
And that was the demise of ancient Greece...
And we have a mitzvah to believe in God,
And believe that Moshiach can come tomorrow,
The Kingdom of David,
Not a democratic state...
I’m a fifth generation patriot American, and people ask me how do I identify… 
I’d say as a joke, "I identify as a soul", but after recent events, I realize it’s way more than that...

I’m a prince in the royal family of g-d,
Who gives his 10% and won’t work on Shabbat.
And I try to keep all six thirteen,
But I won’t call myself orthodox, cause it’s a Greek word.
And, we beat the Greeks on Hanukkah, Duh…

So can I just call myself religious? 
Not really, because it revolves around Shabbos, 
And I love to make kiddush, but I’m not so strict on  Shkiyah, or using a shnenoi, when there's no shabbos goy...

Now, does that make me modern orthodox?
Cause if that does, I’m out…
Not religious, just so I don’t have to live a lie … 
So I don’t make the wrong impression on some random guy …
Just a JFK (just for kiddush) Jew for now, 
No expectations, that’s my vibe…
But get to know me, and we'll definitely jive,
And what I love about mesoratim,
Is that when you’re sitting at the table, at a Friday night dinner,
No one cares if you keep Shabbat,
Who puts on T’fillin, or Davens three times a day,
And why would I call myself a Jew anyway, I think it’s from Magna Carta, and started the antisemitism today!

My father told me I’m from malachut yedudah,
The Judean dynasty, 
An anarchaic monarchy,
With prophets and judges,
Ger Toshav,
With peace and love.

So did I sum up who I am in this complicated poem?
Or do you still have questions, for my open book life?
This is most definetly a longer conversation,
It’s been going on for over 35 years, dialogue with myself, and the omnipresent creator,
Avinu Shebashamayim...

If you’d like to set me up and you know me well,
It’s kind of okay, but that’s where I'll draw the line.
Just don’t suggest a match five minutes after you met me,
Cause quite frankly, it’s an insult to my integrity…

Chances are I’ll meet her Shul,
Or at a Hanukkah party, Purim, or maybe if I’m lucky, at a white party, on Tu B’Av… 

That's enough for now, cause anyway, every match is made from above...

-Joseph Rothvogel