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Moses' Arms
Ilana Kurshan
Though Moses may be slow of speech, his arms
Have power. It’s a lesson he has learned
Since striking that Egyptian with bare hands
And killing him! Then fleeing in concern.
Moses’ arms have power. So God told
Him at the burning bush: “What’s in your hand?”
“A rod,” said Moses. God said, “Cast it down!”
Behold, a snake was writhing in the sand.
Next came the plagues. Said God, “Lift up your arms!”
The Nile turned to blood. Then frogs and lice,
There weren’t any magic words. No tricks.
For Moses, lifting up his arms sufficed.
And then, the sea. The people, terrified.
When Moses lifts his arm, the waters flee
The people cross. Then Moses lifts his arms
The water walls collapse, and now they’re free!
Since Moses knows his arms have hidden strength,
When Amalek attacks, he shows no fear
He raises his two arms. His people win
His arms can solve all problems, it appears.
Or not. His arms can draw the water forth
From desert rock. He’s done it once before
But this time, when the thirsty people groan
God has another plan for him in store.
“Talk to the rock,” says God. But Moses thinks,
“I’m slow of speech. My strength is in my hands.”
He hits the rock. With that, his fate is sealed.
He will not enter in the promised land.
The people drove him mad with their complaints.
But sometimes, strength lies also in restraint.
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The Talmud teaches that the Torah was given in black fire on white fire (Y. Shekalim 6:1). The black fire is the letters of the Torah scroll, and the white fire is the parchment background. In this column, consisting of a poem on each parashah, I will try to illuminate the white fire of Torah – the midrashim, stories, and interpretations that carve out the negative space of the letters and give them shape.
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