This parsha is rich in mitzvot; fertile ground for mitzvot between one human and another.
It was a challenge to find just one mitzvah to write about, so I thought that doing a series of Haikus would give a better sense of the wide variety mitzvot written about. Full disclosure, these Haikus don't include the illicit sexual relationships or the laws of sacrifice. We will leave that for a different volume.
Many thanks to Elana Gerson, Ellen Krueger, Cheryl Vogel, Sheryl Ishai, Marcy Hoban, Lesley Marks-Hershey and Rachel Maman for the extra bonus of their Haikus!!!!
So, now that we have done some, is there anyone who would like to add a Haiku to this post?
Kol Tuv,
Leann
PS Today is the 18th day of counting the Omer.
Holiness
What sets you apart
Your actions raise you higher
Souls swell, grow and rise
Gossip
Words noisily spew
out in the air to be heard.
be honest, be true
Gleanings
Cut away edges
grapes, wheat, barley, rye and oats
the bag weighs heavy
Defrauding
Be true with others
Look a worker in the eye
Stand behind your words
Stumbling Blocks
They are everywhere
Some are seen and others not
Keep the pathway clear
Judge Fairly
Young, old, poor and rich
Keep your eyes set straight ahead
Scales even and true
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Take care of yourself
The world is full of others
Magnify the love
Bearing a Grudge
Grudges weigh heavy
upon our thoughts and our words
Your heart should be light.
Do Not Turn to Ghosts
When things seem hopeless
Call upon friends, family
Answers here on earth
Orlah (waiting to eat fruit)
Apples, dates, figs and orange
Five years til' fruit is eaten
Patience for sweet fruits
Blood
Blood, red, full of life
Runs thickly through heavy veins
Never once tasted
Payot (Corners)
Who would ever have thought
that corners play such a role?
Take care where you snip
Wronging Strangers
Be fair, just and kind
Wrongs cascade outward quickly
Kindness elevates
Rise Before the Aged
Pick up your head, smile
Stand tall, look them in the eye
The old deserve it.
You Shall Be Holy
Are we set on high,
a worthy nation of priests
different from the rest?
Using Honest Weights
Be true about weight
I said I wanted a pound
Don’t cheat your brother
by Cheryl Vogel
Revering Parents
How to get it done?
Revere mother and father.
By just words and deeds.
by Ellen Krueger
Orlah
Holy Holy
In the fourth year
HaShem's fruits
by Sheryl Ishai
Shabbat
Because I said so.
Sit and rest on the Sabbath.
And call your mother.
by Elana Gerson
Leviticus 18:19
Turn the other cheek.
Is that a Jewish value?
Apparently so.
by Elana Gerson
Leviticus 19:3
Why even bother?
They're just cheap imitations
I am all you need
by Elana Gerson
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Sometimes it's so hard
Treating my neighbor with love
Breathe, be humble, try.
by Sheryl Ishai
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Like a River flows
So shall love touch all beings
As one loves oneself
by Marcy Hoban
Loving all beings
It takes just an open heart
As one loves oneself
by Marcy Hoban
Loving all beings
The rewards can be endless
As one loves oneself
by Marcy Hoban
Be humble and just
Apply judgement in fairness.
Poor and rich alike.
by Lesley Marks Hershey
The heart of Torah -
You shall be holy for I
the Lord am Holy
by Lois Lieff
