Saturday, October 22, 2016

Lekh l'chah

exogamy requires a foreign bride
to love the Lord if not to take  His hand
so Abram left Euphrates' riverside
to journey sight-unseen to a new land
the epic stalls; his flocks increase like Lot's
but that's not how one's legacy gets done
it isn't about silver, sheep, or goats
strange patriarch that doesn't have a son!
at last, there's Yitzchak, but now who's the sire?
the neighbors speculate about those three
who came in common travelers' attire
but rocked the tent with unaccustomed glee
an Ugaritic text might help, perhaps
but 'til it's found, midrashim fill the gaps

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