In response to the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. portions Vayeitzei and Vayishlach
Creation happens through the dark,
In the landscape of the dreaming
Whose border arrives
Along the soft edge of evening’s humility.
Escorted by letters of Eighteen Blessings,
Where Truth-Telling is rewarded;
Mapped within a new name.
Returning, broken and whole,
To those who we love;
Those from whom we crave love,
Who, in forgiving us of our limping,
Add light to yet another portrait
Of the Divine.
