B’reishit — In the beginning (Genesis 1:1–6:8)
In the beginning there was nothing and
literally everything had to be made.
Now there is everything and people
still want more. Just yesterday I
overheard someone say it took
seven days to make the world.
Maybe it was on television or
on a bus (though I wasn’t on a bus…)
or just a nearby conversation that
I wasn’t part of. It took all my strength
amidst my obviously vast Jewish knowledge
to not chime and say you know, it actually
only took six days, and the seventh day
was a day off which we’re still supposed to
observe, but people rarely do based on
the number of work emails I get on Saturday
(not that I’m checking.) No, I didn’t say
any of that to whoever had said the first thing
and I felt like I’d come a long way since
the beginning when I was more than likely
to say the kinds of things no one wants to hear.
Now I just write them in poems which
take a day to come up with and then I
take the next six days off.
That’s not how the numbers are supposed to work,
based on my vast Jewish knowledge
but this isn’t the book of Numbers so
I wouldn’t worry about it.
This is the beginning.
Let’s see where we go from here.
Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 29 books including “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net
