Ode To The Torah Poem by Judy Meibach

The Torah is the core of the Jewish religion
no matter how each Jew perceives it.
It is the holiest of all of the Jewish texts.
It is the Jewish text.

Though each sect,
Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist or Humanist
disagrees on its origins -
God, Moses, distinguished rabbis or scholars,
they agree
that it is what
unites us as a people

It is abound with epics of the creation of the world -
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
their concubines and children,
and children and children.

Somehow after all of these years,
in the 21st century,
we are connected to these people.

It structures our life,
gives us a foundation,
meaning,
rules and regulations.

And though
there are divergent ways of practice.
there are some universal themes
that all of the Jews agree upon
and take great pride in -

the Chanukah Menorah,
the Jewish star,

and yes,

the Torah -

an abstraction.

Represented by
two stones in biblical times -
and now,
by a parchment scroll,
accurately scribed by a calligrapher
and covered with velvet and silver.

What a beautiful site for those who believe.

I am lucky to be one of the believers.