Parsha Poetry

We learn what it means to be the people of Israel: that at any moment as we wander we carry with us two aronot – two sacred burdens. The aron-meitim: The coffin, filled with Joseph’s bones and The aron-kodesh: The Holy Ark, which holds the Commandments; God’s words inscribed in stone. In one hand, our […]

I am not slow of speech My tongue is sharp and quick Too quick I need to learn to hold it but rarely manage It lashes out when I am anxious or hurt with words that should be used for healing praying teaching loving but sometimes I weave a shrewish shield or else my heart

The Torah speaks of brothers reconciling But can I be reconciled unto myself? What is the secret? Jacob hides everything that is dear to him across a river before confronting his demons. He protects them but is himself injured, and his fraternal reconciliation is brief; incomplete But Joseph gets it right. He reveals himself to

Much has changed since those sisters vied to be the most fertile to be the first wife to be a wife, acknowledged Birthing babies onto each others knees Taunting the one who couldn’t conceive Love and rivalry interwoven And how much didn’t get recorded by the men who recorded what they thought mattered most? How

And suddenly I’m a sister I wasn’t chosen wasn’t prized A sister is a burden if she doesn’t have a husband She must be kept Looked after Provided for She is a liability Not like a prized wife, precious above rubies. A sister is Disposable She can be handed over She can be raped or

God blesses Abraham that he should have everything Everything! And we’re commanded not to covet but I wouldn’t mind being Abraham; getting that blessing I’d like to have everything too The promise of a legacy The sense of purpose and direction The comfort of knowing I’ll be taken care of The happy endings Or wait,

This is not a poem about Sarah This is not her life story This is not her eulogy Sarah is not here This is a story about men About men who don’t know how to reconcile About men who know how to be followers of God but not good husbands or fathers Or sons Or

Women birthing babies is the essence of everything the beginning of us all And yet such a complicated thing not a simple matter of choosing where and when and how A woman can pray for a baby that never comes can lose many along the way can die trying to bring about life A woman

When God called Abraham to GO! Abraham was silent. He was also silent when God told him to take his son up a mountain and sacrifice him there. I think I get it now. We question Abraham’s silence during these trials because so often he is chatty with God. He has so much to say.

Sometimes you just have to start fresh – pack up what’s good and wipe out the rest Sometimes you have to get on a boat or a train or a plain and just Go; leave one life for the next. Sometimes you might not even know where exactly you are going. You trust that the