The Torah In Haiku: Ki Tavo
September 7, 2012 
3 Comments
All of these curses
Should we fear the punishments?
They seem so severe
G-d has compassion
Turning, reflection, justice*
Make it less severe
*A part of Unetaneh Tokef is traditionally translated as “Repentence, prayer and charity remove the evil of the decree” At a recent study session about the Rosh Hashana prayer, Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell of the Center for Jewish Mindfullness suggested the above translation of “Teshuva, T’filah, Tzedakah” The last line is my own, modified from the “original” to fit in haiku and create a parallel to the first stanza. Call it poetic license.
Image by Mac Mitchell via Flickr
Ed, I love your translation of t’shuvah, t’filah, tzdakah, and don’t think it requires being classified as poetic license. It’s as close to p’shat as many of the so-called “faithful” translations in Mishkan T’filah, and in the new JPS Chumash. Kol hakavod.
Thanks, Larry. But as much as I embrace the translation, credit goes to Rabbi Bendat-Appell. My contribution was substituting “Make it less severe” for “remove the evil of the decree”
It’s a great way of looking at the prayer and will certain inform my worship as we begin 5773.
If you have a chance, I would recommend trying to catch one of Rabbi Bendat-Appell’s September classes (unless you already caught him at Beth Emet last week).
Thanks for the kind words.
Good Shabbos and Shana Tova