Vayikra — And [God] called (Leviticus 1:1–5:26)
Thanks to texting, no one likes
to answer the phone anymore.
It rings like a surprise from another decade.
What are they thinking? We think.
Why don’t they send a message?
Could whatever this is have been an email?
(And in my Torah of communication
the answer to that is always yes.)
We’ve even trained our parents and
grandparents to text us. (Though if
only they’d stop signing their names.)
But this call that Moses received –
This is the one we’ve been waiting for.
This is the one that gets through our
Do Not Disturb. This is the one we’d
brag about if we were the bragging type.
We wouldn’t talk so much on this call –
Just listen, internalize every word,
then document it as sacred text.
This is the call that tells us what to do.
The instructions are specific – food,
peace, sin, and guilt – We’ll know
what to do in every situation.
Here’s the thing – The phone has been
ringing this whole time. Can you hear it?
This is the call you’ve hoped would come.
You know Who it is.
Answer 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
