Beshalach — When he sent (Exodus 13:17–17:16)
When he sent us out of Egypt
and I couldn’t mean the word us
more sincerely…
As they keep digging, they’re
starting to recognize our footprints.
Fairy tales are becoming
primary sources. When you
think you know something
so definitively for centuries
and then the shovels come
and prove it’s something else
your memories start to change.
I’ve always remembered the walls
of water, and who was standing
next to me at the mountain.
But now I’m having visions of the
road we took out of the narrow place.
It was the long way, but They
didn’t want our physical bodies
tainting up the holy land
just our memory.
When he sent us out of Egypt
we went quickly. I left a
pot roast in the oven.
I became a vegetarian
three thousand years later
in memory of that pot roast.
It’s all about memory. When he
sent us out of Egypt, I took
everything I knew. I still have it.
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
