Jul 29, 2021
Mattot-Masei
we know that we have tested you-- have fought, bitterly, cruelly-- have bitten the hand that feeds us with relish-- have cast off every yoke only to reassume it-- we know that you are old and weary from years of bearing us in your arms but we, we are not ready to let go.
drag us away, kicking and screaming. we’ll smile grimly as our enemies fall from the sky; they will not know we smile because they keep coming. fly closer, soldiers and gods-- we need just a little bit more time.
#parsha#poetry#poem#torah#jumblr#Mattot#Masei#Parshat HaShavuah#Poem HaShavuah#okay it's been a while but I remember this was based on a really sweet midrash#which is nice to find amidst all the depressing gore!#where it focuses on the language of the troops needing to be taken in a way that seems forceful#and the midrash says that once the Israelites heard that Moshe would die after the war with Midian they refused to go#they had to be taken against their will#they just have such a classic parent child relationship#they resent Moshe but they love him so dearly and they can only really recognize it in the threat of his absence#oh also a wacky midrash about their enemies flying?#and about G-d striking down the Canaanite gods?#funky stuff
