AYEKA: “Eshes Chayil” – The Eternal Search for the Divine Presence

This deeply spiritual and poetic song by AYEKA (literally, “Where Are You”), entitled “Eshes Chayil,” is about the search for the Divine Presence in the world. Known in Hebrew as the “Shechinah” (literally, “dwelling”), the Divine Presence is the feminine aspect of God, which was sent into exile in Creation. According to Kabbalah, much of the purpose of the Jewish people is to elevate the fallen sparks of the Divine Presence, thereby reuniting the feminine and masculine aspects of God in order to bring about cosmic healing. Although Eishet Chayil is often taken literally, as the praise of a husband to his wife, it is also understood allegorically as an ode to the Sabbath Queen or the Divine Presence. The poetic lyrics, posted below, describe the paradoxical nature of an endless search for something that is inherently hidden, exploring the revealed beauty of that which cannot be seen. The closing words to the song confirm that the Divine Presence will forever dwell in a place called “Who Will Find,” yet our eternal purpose is to search for this place.

Lyrics

Where are you, a tent is where shes found

her beauty’s beyond bound it cant be on display

Just like Him, her honor lies within

secrets just begin,

revealed behind her face

I find you

when I close my eyes

where two unifies

as the truth collides

I find you,

where darkness doesn’t reign

Abel lives with Cain

good comes with no pain

Eshes Chayil

The more you know the less you show

the more you hide the more I find

Its in you I can confide

Eshes Chayil

The more you shine the more I’m blind

The less of you the more I see

Its in you where Gd resides

I find you, letters on a page

belief in a sage

In ink that never fades

Just like Him, lies a mystery

the real reality

the light of seven days

Just like Him, she is free from sin

her kindness has no end

Its what she does not say

Eshes Chayil

The more you know the less you show

the more you hide the more I find

Its in you I can confide

Eshes Chayil

The more you shine the more I’m blind

The less of you the more I see

Its in you where Gd resides

AYEKA

Where are you?

I search Mt. Nevo

how can I not know

his final resting place

Behind You, words cannot describe

the paradox to high

for silence to explain

Without You, who can I beseech

For distance beyond reach

Where there’s no you and me

Can you smell the myrtle when I hide My face

Do you see all the colors when I conceal My race

Eshes Chayil

You are where you’re supposed to be

an eternal discovering

A place called Mee Yimtza