What's plaguing you?

This week's Torah portion, Va'era, is the beginning of the Plagues that God visits upon the Egyptians and their land.

The ones in this parasha are:
Blood
Frogs
Lice
Swarms of Insects
Cattle Diseases
Darkness
Hail

After the first two plagues, the Egyptian magicians demonstrate how they too can make these things happen.
But lice....ah, the lice. It is then that the magicians themselves declare "This is the finger of God."

In the fall, I had a personal encounter with lice. It became the topic of my Yom Kippur sermon, and it was quite an...um...experience for my family. (As I write this, my head is starting to itch....)

I know that reading this particular portion has new meaning for me and for my family. It's always amazing to me how each time I read the Torah, it can speak to me in totally new and different ways.

The text doesn't change. I do.

I am constantly awed by the power of Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

Holy to God...the Tabernacle is Complete!

Time to keep the books.

Itamar, son of Aaron,

got himself the job.

Where did the gold go?

Mo gives a detailed account

of how much was used.

The garments for priests

were made next by the artists.

Pretty, yet useful!

Inscribed on the front

were the words "Holy to God"

Just as God had said.

So the work was done,

the Tabernacle complete.

They brought it to Mo.

Moses inspected

and saw they had done it all.

So he blessed their work.

God told Mo, "it's time

to set it all up and use!"

Mo did what God said.

When Mo was all done

the Presence of God filled it,

the cloud settled down.

When the cloud rose up

they continued to journey.

But if the cloud stayed

then they did not go.

The Presence of God was there

with them day and night.

Chazak Chazak v'nitchazeik!

Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other!

Shabbat Shalom!

See more Haiku Friday here.

Is that a Golden Calf....?

Mo is on Sinai
listening to all God says.
Here are some commands:

Time for a census
One half-shekel per person
To see who is who...

Put a copper bin
for the priests to wash their hands
before sacrifice.

Make special oil:
myrrh, cinnamon and cassia
in olive oil.

Use it to anoint
the Tent of Meeting & priests.
But don't copy it.

God gave Mo tablets
with all the words written down
by God's own finger.

Meanwhile, below,
the people were antsy for Mo
"Is Moses here yet?"

They went to Aaron
and told him to make a god
so he asked for gold.

They brought him the gold.
He melted it down and made
a gold calf for them!

Aaron called a feast
to celebrate the new god.
This was very bad.

God told Mo to go
and see what was going on
God was really mad.

Mo took the tablets
and went back down the mountain.
Mo got really mad.

Mo threw the tablets
and set out to punish them.
It wasn't pretty.

He burned up the calf,
ground it up into powder,
put it in water...

He made them drink it.
Aaron tried to pass the blame
but Mo was still mad.

The sons of Levi
were called forth and told to kill
three thousand who sinned.

Mo asked, "God, forgive!"
but God wanted to get rid
of the ones who sinned.

A new deal was made
God agreed to lead them all
to help the people.

Mo asked to see God.
"None can see My face and live"
so God showed God's back.

Then Mo made new slabs
for the words God would inscribe --
all the commandments.

Mo stayed in God's place
forty days and forty nights
and came back glowing.

The glow was too much
for the people to behold
so Mo wore a veil.

(Wow, this is a long Torah portion!)
See more Haiku Friday here.
Come back next week for more!

Tetzaveh...haiku

God spoke to Moses
Tell them all to bring oil
for sure from olives.

Oil is for lamps
to burn continually
inside the Mishkan*.

Have special clothes made
for Aaron, his sons - the priests.
Breastpiece and ephod,

robe, tunic, sash in
gold, blue, purple and scarlet,
fine twisted linen.

Beautiful gemstones
will decorate the breastplate
to honor the tribes.

Urim and Thummim
go in the pretty breastplate
for Aaron to wear.

Don't forget the bells
so you can hear when he comes
into God's presence.

To ordain the priests
God gives a ceremony.
They put on the clothes,

and kill a young bull.
Sprinkle the blood on the priests
and on the altar.**

The same with a ram,
then take up the bread and cakes
and burn it all up.

The offering helps
remind them all of God's love
and presence within.

*Hebrew word for Tabernacle
**I'm so glad that we don't ordain rabbis like this...

See more Haiku Friday here.

Divine Plans...Parashat Terumah (haiku)

Time to build the ark!
God gives Mo some instructions...
who and how to do.

If your heart moves you
bring your gifts for the Mishkan*
gold, silver, copper,

colored yarn, linen,
goats' hair, ram skins, acacia
oil, spices, gems...

Make two cherubim
and put them on the cover.
Make a table too.

Make a menorah
six branches -- of purest gold,
to light it all up.

Put the Ark, table,
and the menorah into
the Tabernacle.

Weave a curtain of
Purple, blue and crimson yarn
as a partition

Cover the Mishkan*
with fine twisted linen stuff.
Make it beautiful!

*AKA Tabernacle

Things are about to get a tad bloody...stay tuned for next week!

See more Haiku Friday here...

i ♥ laws

In this week's Torah portion, Mishpatim....

God gives lotsa laws,
tells Moses to pass them on
for all to obey.

Laws for keeping slaves,
how to treat your maids and wives,
penalties and rules

don't hit mom or dad,
what to do when an ox gores,
don't throw stones or smite.

It's eye for an eye
life for life and tooth for tooth
burning for burning...

If you dig a pit
and someone falls into it
you have to make good.

The people answered:
"all that God has said we'll do!"
So Mo wrote it down.

Mo went up the Mount
left Aaron in charge of things
and all the judging.

A cloud covered up
mount sinai from all their view
Mo stayed forty days.

(What happened while he was up there? Stay tuned...)
and see more Haiku Friday here...

Shabbat Shalom!

The BIG 10...in Haiku, of course

Yitro* of Midyan
(He was Mo's father-in-law)
heard what God had done.
*aka Jethro

He was very glad
that the Israelites were free!
So he came to Mo.

Mo's wife and kids came
with Yitro to celebrate.
Mo told the whole tale.

Now Mo was the judge.
Everyone came to ask him
how to solve disputes.

All day he listened
to all their problems and fights.
Jethro saw all this.

"This is not so good,"
Jethro had a better way.
"Delegate!" he said.

So Mo chose judges.
They judged what they could deal with.
Hard stuff went to Mo.

They got to Sinai -
time for God to explain laws -
A very big deal.

The people washed up
And made themselves very pure
to wait for God's words.

Smoke, fire, lightning crashed
The mountain trembled with fear
Loud blast of the horn!

God spoke these words here:
I am the Eternal God (1)
Make no other gods (2)

Do not swear falsely
by My Name or profane it. (3)
Observe Shabbat (4)

Honor mom and dad (5)
Do not commit murder and (6)
no adultery (7)

Don't steal anything (8)
No false testimony (9) and
no coveting stuff (10)

The people heard all
but were scared of God's presence
So Mo spoke for God.

God told them to make
an altar for sacrifice
without cutting stones.

A simple altar
will be fine for sacrifice.
The people listened.

Ah...do we follow all the laws? Stay tuned for the next few weeks...Exodus rocks.
More Haiku Friday...over here this week while Jennifer gets settled in Indiana.

Shabbat shalom!

The Plagues Continue...Haiku Torah

"Let my people go!"
Moses brought God's threat to Court.
"Who should go?" they asked.

"Everyone!" Mo said.
"No way!" Pharaoh had to say
and sent them away.

So God sent locusts
to cover over Egypt.
Bugs were everywhere!

Then Pharaoh denied
the request that Moses made
one more time: "no how!"

Now plague number nine
came down in the form of dark -
no light anywhere.

The king was almost
convinced to let them all go
but couldn't do it.

Moses warned Pharaoh
the next one would be real bad -
Mo left in a huff.

God gave a command
"Put lamb's blood on your doorposts
and eat the lamb too,

with unleavened bread
and bitter herbs together -
Call this Passover."

"The blood will protect
your homes from the final plague
that I give Egypt."

"You'll remember this
every year at this same time
and you'll eat matzah."

And so it happened:
the first-born of Egypt died.
Everyone was sad.

Pharaoh called for Mo:
"Get out and go and leave us!"
and so they packed up.

Four hundred thirty
was the number of years there.
It was time to go.

Shabbat Shalom!
Stay tuned for the big climax of Exodus...
See more Haiku Friday here.

And...Stay tuned...beginning next Monday is the
All-Green, All-Trees, All-Week Celebration of Tu B'Shevat,
the Birthday of the Trees!
***with FIVE giveaways***
Come back and visit!

Plagues in Haiku

God said, “hey Moses!
My people are suffering,
go down to Pharaoh.”

Moses and Aaron
were sent to meet with Pharaoh.
(They seemed a bit scared)

Aaron threw his rod
and it became a serpent
Pharaoh laughed a bit.

He called his wise men
they threw down their rods also
and they became snakes.

The rod of Aaron
ate up the other serpents
and Pharaoh was mad.

In return for this
God turned the Nile to blood –
the first of the plagues.

Seven days went by
“Now the frogs,” God said to Mo.
Frogs here, everywhere!

Pharaoh begged for end
the frogs were really a prob
so God relented.

Still pharaoh said no
even after the frogs died
his heart was hardened.

So God turned to bugs
the dust of earth became gnats
lots and lots of ‘em

But plague number three
didn’t succeed more than two
and Pharaoh said no.

Next came swarms of flies
and many really dead cows.
Plagues four, five, failed too.

Boils came on their skin
then came the terrible hail
ruined all of the crops.

Each time he refused
Pharaoh was a stubborn guy
but God was moreso.

What happens next?
Stay tuned for next week’s Torah portion for the rest of the plagues…

See more Haiku Friday here.

Shabbat Shalom!

The saga of Exodus begins...

And so we begin
Exodus starts with the names
That's what Shemot* means!

A new king arose
in Egypt where the Jews lived
This guy forgot Joe.

"There are too many!"
Pharaoh thought they might rise up
or join enemies.

So they made them slaves,
they had to work really hard
constructing cities.

Life was bad for Jews,
being slaves was really hard.
But they still "increased."

A new decree came:
When babies are born to Jews
keep girls, kill the boys.

Shifra and Puah,**
the midwives who were so brave,
did not do as told.

One lady gave birth
to a boy she kept hidden
for all of 3 months.

Then she waterproofed
a basket and put him in...
Placed it in the Nile.

His sister watched o'er
as Pharaoh's daughter came out
and rescued the babe.

To keep the baby
the sister offered a nurse -
the baby's own mom!

When he was ready
Mom brought him back to Princess
who named him Moses.

Mo grew up a prince
One day he saw a bad thing
a Hebrew beaten.

Mo looked all around,
saw no one was watching him,
and killed the beater.

Pharaoh heard of it
and was ready to kill Mo
So he fled from town!

He went to Midyan
and met seven girls, daughters
of Jethro the priest.

He defended them
from bad shepherds at the well
They took him to Dad.

He liked this guy, Mo,
gave him Zipporah as wife
made him son-in-law.

One day Mo was out
he saw a bush burning bright
but not burning up!

God called: "Moses! Yo!"
Moses took heed: "Hineni!"***
"You'll free my people."

"Who am I?" said Mo.
God said, "I'll be with you there."
"What's your name?" said Mo.

"I'm the God of their fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jake -
I am what I am."

God gave him some signs
that what was said was all true -
a rod, scales and blood.

Mo protested more,
"I am slow of speech and tongue!"
Help comes from Aaron.

They went to Pharaoh
"let my people go, God says!"
But Pharaoh said no.

Things got worse just then
Pharaoh took the straw for bricks
It made the job rough.

The Hebrews got mad
they blamed Mo for their trouble.
But God said, "Don't fret..."

Stay tuned for more of the saga next week!

See more Haiku Friday here.
Shabbat Shalom!

*Shemot is both the name of this week's Torah portion as well as the Hebrew name for the book of Exodus. For more thoughts on what's in a name, check out the Torah commentary for this week from the URJ.
**My favorite biblical name
***Hineni means "here I am."