Devarim — the words (Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22)
All the words I have spoken
have been on the west side
of the Jordan River.
I am a descendant of the ones
who perished in the desert, whose feet
never touched the promised ground.
whose immediate descendants
waded across and spoke their words.
I have spoken my words on the
promised ground. I even had a dalliance
or two in the middle of the river.
I’ve spoken my words on
its mountains at sunrise
on Har Herzl where we remember
those who spoke their words.
I have spoken my words in the
marketplaces and on chartered buses.
I have spoken them to the
cats in every city there, to the
shopkeepers on Ben Yehuda Street
Name a city between the
river and the sea, and I have
spoken my words there. I’m taking
that phrase back – The river and the sea
exist for our words. Moses spoke them
before we ambled in between that space.
Nachman screamed them in the forest.
It’s your turn now. Say them often and loud.
Say them to whoever will listen. Say them to
your children, and their children, and their children.
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
