Words for a Dazzling Firmament: Poems / Readings on Bereshit Through Shemot

Abe Mezrich breathes new life into the first third of the Torah in this book of poetic midrash.

"It would have been enough if Abe Mezrich only wrote midrashim (creative re-interpretations/rediscoveries of the Torah); it would have been enough if he only wrote poems; it would have been enough if he only wrote Zen koans. How fortunate are we that he has given us a work combines all three! Mezrich is a cultivated craftsman—interpretively astute, sonically deliberate, and spiritually cunning."

—Zohar Atkins, author of Nineveh

"Direct and accessible, Mezrich's midrashic poems often tease profound meaning out of his chosen Torah texts."

—Yehoshua November, author of God's Optimism

"Abe Mezrich cuts straight back to the roots of the Midrashic tradition, sermonizing as a poet, rather than ideologue. Best of all, Abe knows how to ask questions and avoid the obvious answers."

—Jake Marmer, author of Cosmic Diaspora

"Each installment of Abe's still small voice is a miniature jewel, poetically illuminating with its delicate facets otherwise hidden elements of each parsha."

—Dan Friedman, managing editor, The Forward

"According to the mystics, the Torah was engraved with black fire on white fire. These poetic midrash too. Read them slowly. Spend time in the white spaces. Let the foreignness of the text resonate in silence, and find yourself rewarded."

—Jay Michaelson, author of The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path

© 2022 Ben Yehuda Press (Ebook): 9781963475098

Release date

Ebook: June 4, 2022