Vayera בוַיֵּרָא And He Appeared — Genesis 18:1–22:24 Torah Study and Poetry (4)

Kimberly Burnham
3 min readNov 7, 2020

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

Surprising Guests

Reach out if you have enjoyed / a visitor this week / a friend very close / or recently not seen

An idea sprung on you / suddenly changing everything / an opportunity a blessing / something longed for / arrived at your doorway

Come forward accept receive / if you have this week / given up hope / and in the face of opportunity / wondered how

―Genesis 18:1–8

Putting out the welcome mat for friends and stranger in Parsha Vayera in Genesis by Hombre on Unsplash

Appear Here

If this week you have felt / called upon to do more / than is possible / breaking your heart / cracking your life open / to God / the wondering of nature / providing

If you have borne / a child / a desire to produce / evidence of awareness / of what you should do / to comply / to be happy / to live fully / connected to what is around you

If it seems dreams / going up in smoke / saved by a voice in the last minute / extraordinary change happens / dreams survive to live another day

―Genesis 18:9–15

Through Isaac’s Eyes

As I hike along life’s path / I wonders / where is the lamb / there is the wood / the stone / the desire / but where is the lamb

With all my blemishes / will he kill me / I am trying / to do good / falling short / he is going to kill me

Resistance futile / despair / the knife is coming / questions swirl / could I have done better / more / is trying not enough / confusion still as the knife / is put away for today

What test will rise / tomorrow / where / do I go from here / passing the test / leaving perplexity in its wake / am I good enough / a child through whom promises / fulfilled

―Genesis 22:2–14

Lamb by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Enough

How many is enough / to matter / who matters / who makes the difference

How many is enough / to do the right thing / to save the environment / to care for the elderly / to eliminate violence

How many is enough / to create beauty / to teach children / to protect whales and polar bears

What can ten people do / a minion / to change the world for good

―Genesis 18:23–32

Action Verbs: Moving With The Torah

Actions in Vayera include: appearing / bathing / bearing / being / bowing / bringing / coming / eating / enjoying / fetching / giving / going / greeting / growing / hastening / having / kneading / laughing / listening / looking up / making / preparing / reclining / refreshing / replying / returning / running / saying / seeing / setting / sitting / standing / stopping / taking / wafting / withering

―Genesis 18:1–22:24

Action verbs in the Torah Bible Movement and the brain by Febrian Zakaria on Unsplash

Originally Published in Vayera (Genesis 18:1–22:24) Journal Your Journey Through a Year of Torah https://www.nervewhisperer.solutions/peace-poetry/category/torah-poetry on November 16, 2019.

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Kimberly Burnham

(She/Her) Writer, Poet, currently working on a memoir, Mistaken for a Man, a Story for Anyone Struggling to Feel Comfortable in Their Own Skin, Clothes, & ...