Lech-Lecha / לֶךְ־לְךָ, Go Forth, Yourself Genesis 12:1–17:27 Torah Study and Poetry (3)

A B’nai Mitzvah Torah Planner with Poetry and Inspiration.

Parsha Lech-Lecha Go Forth Genesis 12:1–17:27 Jewish Poetry and Art by Matt Howard on Unsplash

Lech L’Cha Go Forth

Lech l’cha translates from Hebrew / Go you forth / L’cha literally toward you / perhaps toward yourself

Walk forth / away from where you are / what you are used to / find your true self

The Breath of Life sends us forth / to find ourselves / in health / in unity / in nature

Do we run back to familiar idols / separating us / or do we go forth / and share in abundance

―Genesis 12:1

Lech-Lecha Go Forth

God King shall said will
a covenant land offspring
Abram, Sarai, Lot

―Genesis 12:1–17:27 Word Cloud (most common words are largest) Haiku (poem with 5–7–5 syllables in each of three lines).

Word Cloud Poetry From Lech-Lecha / לֶךְ־לְךָ, Go Forth, Yourself Genesis 12:1–17:27 Torah Study and Poetry (3)

Laughing with God

Abraham laughed with God / not at God / not making malicious fun / but in surprise / delight at the possibilities in life / God said something so startling / as to draw a laugh /

Abraham so comfortable / relaxed into the mirth of life / beginning anew in the old

―Genesis 17:17

Genesis 12: Abram and his family leave Ur at God’s command. Call of Abram from Biblia Sacra ad optima quaeque veteris, ut vocant, tralationis exemplaria summa diligentia, pariq[ue] fide castigata : cum Indicibus copiosissimis by Tournes, Jean de, 1504–1564

Come on a Journey

Lech-Lecha / come or go forth / depends on the destination / and what is left behind

An invitation to find the new / creating family for generations / packing what one can carry / on the back and in the mind

Focus on the boulders and mountains / or on the promise and blessing / the unbelievable and the believed / the past or the possibilities / leaving home behind or bringing home along.

―Ekphrastic Torah Poetry (Poetry inspired by art)―Genesis 12:1

Signs and Symbols in 5 of the 613 Mitzvot or Commandments

To circumcise the male offspring / Genesis 17:12; Lev. 12:3 / a sign on the body of the man

To put tzitzit on the corners of clothing / Numbers 15:38 / a sign on body covering

To bind tefillin on the head / Deuteronomy 6:8 /a prayer symbol and reminder

To bind tefillin on the arm / Deuteronomy 6:8 / a covering on the arms and head

To affix the mezuzah to the doorposts and gates of your house / Deuteronomy 6:9 / a symbol on the home

Originally Published in Lech-Lecha (Genesis 12–17) Journal Your Journey Through a Year of Torah https://www.nervewhisperer.solutions/peace-poetry/category/torah-poetry on November 9, 2019.