And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, had also given birth to Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah. ~ Genesis 22:23
We want the best for our children –
a life well lived and accomplishments
greater than our own.
Does any of it matter if none of it
is written down? The twelve sons of Nahor,
born from a wife and a concubine
(it was a different time) are never heard from
again after their listing here. They must have
had lives and wives and possessions
and things they were proud of. They could
have been the backup twelve if Jacob’s sons
didn’t get a musical written about them.
Only Bethuel gets some credit for branching
three matriarchs on our family tree. I have
a vague memory of his name in a song.
That’s what I want for my son – for his name
to appear in songs. Maybe that’s already happened.
Maybe is a deceptive word here.
Let the written archives that people
pull out of electronic caves in two millennia
tell his stories. We’ll skip the concubines
next time down. We’ll make detailed notes
on all the comings and goings. We’ll mention
everyone by name.
Rick Lupert, a poet, songleader and graphic designer, is the author of 30 books including “Begin the Beget” and “God Wrestler: A Poem for Every Torah Portion.” Visit him at www.JewishPoetry.net
