Leviticus Haikus

March 12, 2025Helene Kohn

Vayikra

Voluntary acts
Of sacrificial service
Petition wholeness

Tzav

What pleases our God?
Meticulous rituals,
Priests as exemplars

Haggadah

Nary a mention
Deflating Egypt's stronghold
Yet God everywhere

Sh'mini

Raised hands of blessings
Belie joy turning deadly
Brothers in crisis

Tazria/M'tzora

Mysterious ills
Of degraded conditions
Ritually cured

Acharei Mot/K'doshim

Within commandments
Woven in everyday acts
One finds holiness

Emor

Proscribed dates and times
Cycles and circles of life
Commemorated

B'har/B'chukotai

On Sinai, proclaim
How many harvests you have.
Then rest, Holy Land

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