fbpx

Nine Reasons – A poem for Parsha Behar-Bechukotai

These are the last words in the third book of the Torah which could tell you any number of things:
[additional-authors]
May 22, 2025

These are the commandments that God commanded Moses to tell the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. ~ Leviticus 27:34

These are the last words in the
third book of the Torah which could
tell you any number of things:

I
My lawyer wasn’t available
to interpret for me the laws of real estate
that appear before these words
in time for me to write this.

II
I don’t actually have a lawyer.

III
My lawyer was busy consecrating
the fields because they had read ahead
and knew exactly what to do.

IV
I was distracted trying to save all
the firstborn animals from being sacrificed
and wondering why the second and third
born animals were off the hook.

V
My lawyer was looking into
the ancient priesthood so he could
get his hands on some of that sweet
firstborn animal meat. (To consecrate
of course.)

VI
I’ve been waiting on the surveyor
to tell me if my backyard could be
sufficiently sowed with a chomer
of barley seed.

VII
I’m waiting to hear back from my
staff on what the word chomer means.

VIII
I only just found out I
don’t have a staff and have a
whole lot of work to catch up on.

IX
I’m trying to gather the strength
to wander through the desert
for forty years. We start walking
next week.


Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 28 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

The Joy Within

Sukkot asks us to receive the harvest that has actually come in—not the one we imagined or wished for.

A Bisl Sukkot ~ Don’t Be Afraid, Go Outside

The sukkah reminds us to go out into the world, especially when the comforts of insularity beckon us closer—to explore paths we have yet to take and seek journeys ready for wandering.

A Harira Hug in the Sukkah

I love making soup for this holiday because even if the days are still warm, the cooler evenings make you start craving something warm and comforting.

The Beat Goes On

While so much of the world seems obsessed with and consumed by its hatred of Israel and Jews, Israelis continue to build, create, work, celebrate, argue, raise families, and plan for the future.

Viral AI Video Targets Jewish Comedian

“The biggest concern is that people now have a pathway to shut down Jewish voices through complete falsities that people will believe. … For the future of Jewish entertainment, it’s very scary.”

Yiddish Historians: Writing in Their Own Language for Their Own People

Mark Smith has compiled an important anthology of Jewish history using 49 works by Yiddish historians to recreate or at least open the door to a world of Jewish thought that was once almost mainstream, but which no longer exists, except in the minds of too few specialists.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.