Kedoshim Haikus

Leann Shamash
May 6
6 min read

Hello,

I'll begin with a word about Acharei Mot, the first of the double parshiyot of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. Just as we read the parshiyot describing Passover in January, when we read Acharei Mot, in the month of May, we read the story of the scapegoat which we will read in five months as we fast and repent for unfullfilled promises . A little more that the halfway point of the year, the community is reminded of how important it is for individuas to take words seriously and the responsibility we hold for each other in our communities, whether large or small, urban or rural.

Parshat Kedoshim is rich in mitzvot; a fertile ground for laying out commandments between humans living in a community. Following is a series of haiku poems written by friends on the ethical laws presented in Kedoshim, the 19th chapter of Leviticus. The Haiku form is addictive and one must think carefully about what one wishes to express in the poem and I am so grateful for the folks who answered my call and wrote a Haiku or two for this post.

In this post, I have listed the actual commandment, where it appears and then either one or a few Haikus that were presented to me.

By the way, this is a repeat post from four years ago, but with a number of additions to the original post. I haven't included people's names, but have included their initials which is what you might see at the bottom of some of the Haikus. If you see any errors, please feel free to pass them along to me.

I've added a few other posts published on Words Have Wings on these parshiyot at the bottom of this page. In the meantime, enjoy! Do you have a Haiku that you'd like to add from Chapter 19 of Leviticus? Please feel free to send it to me. Remember, the form is 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables.

Shabbat Shalom,

Leann

KEDOSHIM HAIKUS

Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, your God יהוה, am holy. Leviticus 19:2

What sets you apart

Your actions raise you higher

Souls swell, grow and rise

Are we set on high,

a worthy nation of priests

different from the rest?

The heart of Torah -

You shall be holy for I

the Lord am Holy

Follow commandments

be better kinder people

holy unto G-d

Laws from one strong G-d

lead a people in their ways

are a holy guide

Suz Ka

__________________

You shall each revere your mother and your father, and keep My sabbaths: I יהוה am your God. Leviticus19:3

How to get it done?

Revere mother and father.

By just words and deeds.

Ell Kru

Light fading from sky,

Flames lit, breathe and let go now,

Calm washes over

Ja Mi

Happy memories

with friends from the neighborhood.

All kinds of weather.

El Co

Because I said so.

Sit and rest on the Sabbath.

And call your mother.

El Ge

________________

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the

edges of you field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

Leviticus/Vayikra 19:9

Ripe kernels hang on

Edges and corners waiting

For those who need them

I stop at the edge

Leaving what’s fallen behind

Hoping to feed you

The edges still stand

What’s fallen remains waiting

For hands to make bread

An offering of

Wheat, edges and gleanings for

You, my tribe, who needs.

Ir Al

******

Cut away edges

grapes, wheat, barley, rye and oats

the bag weighs heavy

Apples, dates, figs and orange

Five years til' fruit is eaten

Patience for sweet fruits

___________________

You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am your God. Leviticus 19:10

I shall not reap all

But keep for those behind me

To take what remains

Na Ler

____________

You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another. Leviticus 19:11

Think of how you’d feel

If no respect for your stuff.

Respect things and truth.

Ba Mar

___________

You shall not defraud your fellow [Israelite]. You shall not commit robbery. The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning. Leviticus 19:13

Sunset. I get paid.

Warm pita, za’atar, olives -

Tonight there’s dinner.

Re Jac

______________

You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am יהוה. Leviticus 19:14

They are everywhere

Some are seen and others not

Keep the pathway clear

God sees and God hears

He looks out for those who don’t

We must do that too

Bon Ar

_________________

You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly. Leviticus 19:15

Be true with others

Look a worker in the eye

Stand behind your words

Young, old, poor and rich

Keep your eyes set straight ahead

Scales even and true

Come be judged fairly

Your facade won't sway justice

All stand equal here.

She Ish

__________________

Do not spread gossip among your people. Do not stand idle when your fellowman is in danger: I am the Eternal, Who rewards the righteous and punishes transgressors.

Leviticus 19:16

Words noisily spew

out in the air to be heard.

be honest, be true

You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kin but incur no guilt on their account. Leviticus 19:17

Love your family

Strive for much love and kindness

Mistakes can happen

Len La

_________________

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow [Israelite] as yourself: I am יהוה. Leviticus 19:18

Take care of yourself

The world is full of others

Magnify the love

Grudges weigh heavy

upon our thoughts and our words

Your heart should be light.

Sometimes it's so hard

Treating my neighbor with love

Breathe, be humble, try.

She Ish

Loving all beings

It takes just an open heart

As one loves oneself

Ma Ho

Be humble and just

Apply judgement in fairness.

Poor and rich alike.

Les Her

________________

You shall observe My laws. You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; you shall not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material. Leviticus 19:19

Is mixing of thread

the opposite of Kadosh?

Why linen and wool?

Am We

_________________

When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. Leviticus19:23

Tend your garden well

Three years no fruit fourth happy

Fifth year enjoy crop.

Suz Ka

__________________

You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice divination or soothsaying. Leviticus 19:26

Blood, red, full of life

Runs thickly through heavy veins

Never once tasted

You shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Leviticus 19:27

Who would ever have thought

that corners play such a role?

Take care where you snip

______________

Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them: I יהוה am your God. Leviticus 19:31

When things seem hopeless

Call upon friends, family

Answers here on earth

Blood. Ghosts. Soothsayers.

Ancient worship now taboo

Sacrificed for God

Am We

________________________

You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am יהוה. Leviticus 19:32

All God's creatures age

Reverence, not scorn, is due

With grace we may learn

Bon Gl.

Pick up your head, smile

Stand tall, look them in the eye

The old deserve it.

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, you shall not wrong him. Leviticus 19:33

Be fair, just and kind

Wrongs cascade outward quickly

Kindness elevates

______________

The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I יהוה am your God. Leviticus 19:34

The gateway opens

Birds flutter on the branches

A banquet is laid

Mel Wi

__________________

You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity.

You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I יהוה am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. Leviticus 19:35, 36

Be true about weight

I said I wanted a pound

Don’t cheat your brother

Che Vo

____________________