Poem: Of Course

The generation before
did not get to learn
from Rav Avital
from Rav Aviva
from Rav Miriam Simma

the generation before
did not get to read the Talmud
side by side
with The Vagina Monologues
listening to canons
speak to each other

never had a teacher
who nursed a baby
while discussing Talmud

never a teacher
who compared
wearing tefillin
with taking pain meds
during childbirth
“two things a woman should decide for herself,”

they missed out

but the next generation
(how lucky are they!)
will stand on your shoulders
dance with your Torah
sing harmony for your songs

They will say
of course
Torah is ours

Poetry Editor Alicia Ostriker comments:
What happens when something innovative or revolutionary becomes accepted as normal, and the new norm then becomes the basis for fresh exploration? This very enjoyable poem celebrates not only women’s admission to rabbihood, but also how a woman’s body and a woman’s experience can become keys to understanding Talmud, tefillin, and torah. When “Torah is ours,” as a matter of course, whole new bodies of wisdom will be born.