By Michael Sigman, Co-Chair of the Jewish Living Delaware Advisory Committee
We will soon start reading the Torah from the Beginning, please allow me to remember and share some poetic Torah that I co-authored a long time ago with my mother.
Sybil Sigman, z’’l, was a well-known and widely respected Jewish educator in South Jersey for nearly three decades. She served on faculties of schools of all Jewish denominations. Before moving to Cherry Hill, NJ, she taught in multiple synagogues in Brooklyn, NY. Sybil was an extraordinary teacher who enjoyed spending time with young people and having an impact on their lives. Her goal was to instill in her students a love of learning and an enduring Jewish identity. She and I also spent hours punning and stretching our creative writing efforts. This included sometimes making Biblical text a little more approachable.
God’s Dictation
In the beginning-God said-
“Let there be electrification!”
That threw some light on the situation
No radiation-just purification
And God said, “This is good.
Twill be a sensation.”
And there was evening, and there was morning. The first day.
Tween heaven and earth a separation
Gravitation and rotation
At the equator, centralization
At the ends, polarization
And God said, “This is good.
Now we have a firm foundation.”
And there was evening, and there was morning. The second day.
“Let us gather the seas in anticipation
That the waters be pure, no contamination.
May the land yield produce from good fertilization
To sustain the oncoming population.”
And God said, “This is good.
There is enough land for every nation.”
And there was evening, and there was morning. The third day.
The sun for illumination
The moon for meditation
The stars, our constellation
North Star for navigation
And God said, “This is good.
The heavenly bodies in syncopation.”
And there was evening, and there was morning. The fourth day.
The birds will fly in formation
The fish will swim in flotation
They will be fruitful, and by multiplication
Ensure the world of procreation
And God said, “This is good.
Every living thing has a destination.’”
And there was evening, and there was morning. The fifth day.
Cattle and beast in duplication
Adam was created in God’s image-nation
Eve was the core of his inspiration
And over All, mankind got domination
And God said, “This is good.”
God was filled with exaltation
And there was evening, and there was morning. The sixth day
God made a proclamation
The Sabbath would be the occasion
A day set aside for God’s glorification
To be celebrated with prayer and rededication
And now we leave it for your appreciation and dissertation
-But God said, “This is very good.”-
©Michael Sigman and Sybil Sigman
