MOUNTAINS MELT LIKE WAX

His lightening lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. Mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.

-Psalm 97

We sing these words in Kabbalat Shabbat every week. Two traditional commentators, Radak and Ibn Ezra, suggest that these melting mountains is a metaphor for great and towering leaders. Leaders who become deluded with their own sense of grandeur will eventually "melt like wax before the Lord."

These words have particular resonance today, as one of the most dreaded and repressive leaders is faced with what appears to be his inevitable crumbling into history. The trembling of the earth that is melting this mountain is the result of the pounding feet and fists of very courageous protesters. The price they have already paid is heavy.

It may be meaningful to make some time to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in freedom. The Psalmist reminds us that life is cyclical, and that ultimately, what appears to be permanent may soon crumble into the sea. We are reminded that a grand life is a simple one.