Poem about Torah

Here is a story that happened to me,

While I was still swimming in my mother’s tummy.

An angel, a malach, came over to me,

And taught me the Torah from Aleph to Z.

But then he tapped me so hard on my nose,

And I felt it all leave from my head through my toes.

I forgot all the Torah that he had taught to me,

And just then I popped out of mommy’s tummy.

For years, it bothered me.  

Why did all that Torah flee?

Then one day while walking I saw an old man.

Can I ask you a question, and he said, yes you can.

So I asked the old man who seemed so soft and kind,

Why did the Torah disappear from my mind?

And if all that Torah I had to forget,

Why did they teach me from the onset?

The old man looked down at me with a smile,

To explain this one, he said, will take quite a while.

Because of your parents love and care.

Most things that they have they will certainly share,

But some things they won’t, like a diamond or a gem,

They won’t let anyone get close to them.

Our father, Hashem, is the King of the Kings,

His treasure is greater than gold rings and things.

I’m sure you know of the treasure I mean,

The Torah, Hashem’s treasure, is יקרה מפנינים.

And this very same Torah He gave as a gift,

It’s a big deal, if you get my drift.

But not like a gift you would buy in the store,

Or a toy you could earn for doing a chore.

The Torah’s an inheritance to every Jew,

That means to me and that means to you.

Morasha means Inheritance, it's already yours,

From the day you popped out of your mommy’s tummy doors.

You don’t have to earn it and you don’t have to buy it,

It’s your birthright, forever, no one can deny it.

No one can come and take it from you,

Because it belongs to every Jew.

Wow, I exclaimed, as my face lit with glee,

To share all of this He must really love me. 

But if He really does love me so much,

Why did I forget it with that angel’s touch?

When I walk in a shul and see books on the shelf,

Why don’t I know all of this stuff by myself?

You said it’s a morasha, an inheritance for me,

But I don’t know all these books and they could fill the whole sea?

 

He looked and told me, I know what you mean,

There’s so much to learn and there’s so much to glean.

The Torah is yours just because you’re a Jew

But Veshinantom levonecha means we’ve got to teach it to you.

Working hard for something you’ll have to agree,

Makes it worth more than just getting it for free.

He taught you the Torah so you’ll know you can do it,

You’ve already done it, for sure you can get through it.

But then the angel tapped you to make you forget,

So now you can work hard and learn every set.

 

Wow! I get it, I said with smile,

I’ve got to learn through all those books in the pile.

But when shall I learn it, I asked with surprise,

In your house, on the road, when you lie and you rise.

I came home that day shining and excited,

I got it, I knew it, my face was all lighted.

Hashem gave His Torah to every Jew,

That means to me, and it means to you.

But to make all that Torah worth more to us,

He wants us to learn and debate and discuss.

The Torah’s a morasha to every Jew,

That means to me and that means to you.

At the same time Veshinantam, you’ve got to teach them,

And the hard work is what makes it worth more than a gem.

Yonasan Abrams