National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month.

How am I celebrating? Well, the fine people at the WordXWord spoken word festival have asked me, along with a few other poets, to write a poem a day for the entire month of April. While these are not Torah-related poems, and not all of them rhyme, I nonetheless figure that those who enjoy my poetry might be interested to see what I’m up to. (Besides, I spent a long time on today’s poem, so I want people to see it.) To give you a sample, here’s my poem from April 2nd:

“Perspective”

Last week I wrote
a fantastic poem
to alternately elicit laughter and tears
a poem that everyone would connect with
even you
but when I went to share it with an audience
I realized that someone had replaced it with a terrible poem
and I had not noticed earlier
because all the words were the same

So how are you celebrating National Poetry Month? Writing daily poems? Buying copies of God To Verse for all your friends? Writing limericks to a loved one? Posting on your own blog in verse? However you best deem fit, I hope you find interesting ways to enjoy April — if only to prove T.S. Eliot wrong.

70 Faces Review

My scheduled presentations for From God To Verse are now complete, so if anyone would like to book me to speak to your group (via Internet video or otherwise), please feel free to contact me. Most recently I spoke at the congregational breakfast at Temple Am David in Warwick, and I thank the organizers for inviting me and the audience for a fun Q&A session.

Meanwhile, I’d previously mentioned another book of Torah poetry on this blog, namely 70 faces, and I wanted to offer a brief review. But first, two disclaimers:

Disclaimer #1: The author of 70 faces, Rachel Barenblat (a.k.a. “The Velveteen Rabbi“) is a friend of mine.

Disclaimer #2: Before I wrote this review, I wrote her a lengthy email asking “Are you sure you’re okay with me doing this? Because I take my reviewing seriously and won’t go easy on the book just because you’re a friend.” She agreed.

So, about the book.

70 faces is far from Barenblat’s first poetry book, but it is her first poetry book since being ordained as a rabbi. It is then, appropriate, that she has chosen to do a poem for each Torah portion of the year. (As you might suspect, I empathize with those who are completists, especially with regard to Torah-inspired work.)

I think what I like best about this collection of poems is the immediacy they convey. Reading many of the pieces, I find myself drawn into the emotional landscape, rather than simply reading about the stories of the Torah as one usually does. There is a pervasive humanity throughout the collection, which I think shines through and makes the poems easy to connect with.

A favorite line of mine comes from the very first poem “Postpartum”, based on the opening chapters of Genesis. Could the whole project be a wash? Aside from enjoying clever wording, I really appreciate the simplicity of the statement, the humanizing of the divine, and just how much is conveyed in seven words.

Her poem “Korban” on the opening chapters of Leviticus begins You’ll need a smoker. // Get one from Home Depot // and tighten each screw and bolt // exactly as the directions teach. These lines maintain the spirit of detailed scriptural instructions on how burnt offerings must be made, but are more (emotionally) accessible to the modern world.

Not that all of 70 faces is a proud heralding of the Torah. Barenblat does not shrink from taking issue with some passages, such as the Israelites’ songs of praise to the Lord after drowning the Egyptians. I don’t want to sing to the Lord, begins “The Psalm I Sing” …  not if that means celebrating // when the floodwaters or the bombs // have left their bodies bent and bloodied // even if they were cruel taskmasters // even if they hit us first // even if they are not like us at all.

Barenblat asks her readers to join her in really thinking about some of these ancient stories, and the work she does in engaging with the text really resonates with me.

In some places. And that’s my only real complaint about this book: Some of the poems do nothing for me. I’ll read three great poems in a row that really make me think, and then the next one will have me wondering if I’ve missed something. But perhaps that’s inevitable in any collection of poetry. And this one has everything from a sestina (no easy feat to write) to a poem that reminds me a lot of William Carlos Williams.

70 faces, like the Torah itself, ends up having some passages I enjoy more than others. Is the quality even throughout? Perhaps not, in either case. But for anyone looking to engage with the Torah on a more human level, this collection offers many fine pieces for reflection and connection, and for that reason I recommend it.

Happy New Year!

Again! Well, this is the other New Year, and I hope 2011 is off to a good start for all of you. I’ve been getting lots of great reactions to the book, some of which you can see in the Press section above. And I’ve got some more upcoming dates for you:

* Thursday, February 17, 2011 — Congregation Beth Israel (North Adams)

* Sunday, March 13, 2011 – Congregational Breakfast at Temple Am David (Warwick).

Furthermore, I have been informed that through the wonders of modern technology, I can present to a temple, church, classroom, or other room of people without actually being there. So if you have been wondering how to get a presentation on From God To Verse without footing a travel bill, contact me and we can discuss a tele-cast presentation using Skype.
Also, lest you be under the misapprehension that I am alone in combining Torah and Poetry, allow me to inform you that the inimitable Velveteen Rabbi has recently released her book of Torah poems:

And while putting out a book is a great accomplishment, it is dwarfed by the other news from the Velveteen Rabbi, which is that she is velvet no longer, having finally been ordained as a real rabbi. Mazel Tov!

Interviews and Other Views

I was recently interviewed by Berkshire Beat, which reminds me, I finally got around to making a Press page to collect some things people are saying about the book. I got lots of nice comments about the book at this past weekend’s events too, but I didn’t write any of them down.

(If you’ve published something about From God To Verse, I thank you, and would love to see a link if I missed it. If you are considering publishing something about From God To Verse, and would like to ask me any questions, I will do my best to answer them.)

Meanwhile, Chanukah is winding down, Christmas preparations are winding up, and it’s a perfect time to order the book on Amazon.

Upcoming Events

Twenty holidays are approaching. One of them is Christmas, and the other nineteen are Chanukah (and Hannukkah, and Hanuka, and…)  So, what better gift than a signed copy of my book? Here are some upcoming events where you can find me:

* Saturday, November 13, 9:30am to 3pm – Chin Bo Jok Martial Arts Academy, 10 Lyman St., Pittsfield, MA. (part of their holiday sale)

* Saturday, November 20, 10ish am to noonish – Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence, RI (part of their Torah study)

* December 3, 7pm to 8:30pm – Papyri Books, 45 Eagle Street, North Adams, MA  (a whole event just for me!)

If you aren’t likely to be in the New England area, or just want to peek at a few pages of my book, you can always check the “Buy the Book!” link at the top of the page.

From God To Verse — Now Available on Amazon!

I am pleased to announce that “From God To Verse” has finally been released, and is now available for purchase!

From God To Verse: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, in Rhyme

I have waited so long for this day that I honestly do not even know what to say any more.  This has been a work in progress for roughly a third of my life, and I am very excited to finally send it out into the world, and hope you will enjoy it.

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Belated L’Shanah Tovah

A happy healthy new year to you all. Things here have been busy, and a printing production error has sadly released the delay of From God To Verse. But when you’ve been working on a book for nearly a decade, what’s another few weeks to make sure everything is right, right? Right. Almost assuredly before the end of the month. Next post will be good news for sure.

It’s Coming.

Before Rosh Hashanah, a complete version of “From God To Verse” will be available for purchase on Amazon. The complete version will not only have the line-by-line translations for all five books (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), but will also include 4-8 line short rhyming summaries for each chapter, perfect for sharing with those who do not have the inclination to delve into every line of the full text.

Much more information to come, once the book is available.

Endings and Beginnings

The end of a year is always the beginning of a year as well. A year ago, around Rosh Hashannah, I decided I’d post one chapter of Genesis up here each week. And a year later, my translations of all 50 chapters of Genesis are now available online, and another year has ended. But another year has also begun. So perhaps in this new year, 5770, I’ll end up publishing my rhyming translations of all five books of Moses in print. But meanwhile, Genesis will remain here for everyone to enjoy, so I hope you do. I likely won’t post here again unless it’s news about a print version of God to Verse. Thanks for reading.

Best,
Seth

Genesis 50

Joseph flung himself onto his father’s face, wept over him and then kissed him as well.
Joseph ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel.
They embalmed him. It took forty days for him, the full timespan that embalming requires.
And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days. Now when the days of weeping expired,
Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh and said, “Pray, if I’ve found favor in your eyes,
Speak in Pharaoh’s ears, saying, ‘My father made me swear an oath to him before he died.
He said, “Look, I am dying. In my burial site I dug for myself long ago
In the land of Canaan, there you must bury me.” So pray, now grant me your leave to go,
And to bury my father there, and return.’” Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father,
As he had you swear, since you have made an oath.” So Joseph went up to bury his father,
And with him went up all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household and all Egypt,
All of Joseph’s household, all his brothers and father’s household, they all went on the trip.
Only their little-ones, their sheep and their oxen did they leave in the land of Goshen.
And along with him also went chariots and horsemen. His troop was heavy with men.

When they came to Goren Ha-Atad (“Bramble Threshing Floor”) in the land beyond the Jordan,
They took up a lament, an exceedingly heavy lament (for sorrow is important).
He held seven days mourning for his father. When the Canaanite inhabitants saw
All the mourning at Goren Ha-Atad, the Canaanites stared and were stricken with awe.
They said, “This is such mourning for Egypt.” So “Mourning-Meadow of Egypt” it was branded,
(Or “Abel-Mizraim”), beyond the Jordan. Thus his sons did as their father commanded.
They all carried him back to the land of Canaan, buried him in a cave in the field
Of Machpelah, the burial-site which Abraham got Ephron the Hittite to yield,
Facing Mamre. Then Joseph returned to Egypt, he, his brothers, and all of the herd
Who had gone up with Joseph to bury his father, after his father was interred.

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge,
And decides to repay us for all of the ill that we caused him, serving as our judge?”
So they sent Joseph a message which said, “Before he died, your father commanded us,
‘Say this to Joseph, “Pray, forgive your brothers’ sin and offense, harm caused by animus.”’
Pray forgive the offense of the servants of your father’s God!” Joseph wept as they spoke.
Then his brothers came, flung themselves down before him, and said, “Here we are, slaves to your yoke.”
But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid. For am I to be your judge in God’s place?
Though you planned harm against me, God planned it for good, to bring this day about in his grace–
So that many will be kept alive. So now, don’t be afraid. I myself will provide
For both you and your children.” And he gave them comfort, and spoke to them kindly besides.

So Joseph stayed in Egypt, with his father’s household. He lived to one hundred and ten.
Joseph lived long enough to see Ephraim’s grandchildren of the third generation,
And also the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, were adopted on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but God will take notice of you, surely,
And bring you up from this land to the land which he promised in an oath to Abraham,
To Isaac, and to Jacob.” Joseph had the sons of Israel swear an oath to him,
Saying, “Once God takes notice of you, you must bring my bones up from here.” And Joseph died,
At one hundred and ten. They embalmed him, put him in a coffin in Egypt to bide.