As the Jewish high holidays approach, it's an opportune time to call attention to Jewish-related haiku being published today, especially haiku focused on the different facets of Judaism.
Not surprisingly, holidays are a common topic of Jewish-related haiku and senryu. Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) is probably the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. The focus is on recognizing, reflecting, and addressing one's sins. As part of this, the observance calls for fasting for more than twenty-four hours:
day of atonement
the redeeming lightness
of being hungry
- Mel Goldberg (1)
Another Yom Kippur tradition is remembering loved ones who have passed away. This includes the lighting of a yahrzeit (memorial) candle. Even though we feel connected to the deceased through the act of remembering, we nevertheless feel a distance, or separation:
Yom Kippur
the memorial candle flickers
in its own world
- Bruce Ross (2)
The Bar Mitzvah is a well-known tradition, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood. Because the participants are teenagers (thirteen-year-olds), this can provide a window into changing social mores:
Bar Mitzvah
on top of his mohawk
a yarmulke
- David Grayson (3)
Not surprisingly, haiku with Jewish themes are diverse. However, even when they address subject matter that is not strictly religious, Judaism and its traditions sometimes remain in the background:
her 80th Passover
mother doesn't cook anymore
grandmother's tsimmes (4)
In the above poem, Zinovy Vayman fondly recalls his grandmother's version of a traditional Eastern European stew cooked on Passover.
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has also been a topic of haiku poets. Here, too, religion is a presence in multiple ways:
Sea of Galilee
a white gull glides
peacefully
- Rick Black (5)
Rick Black's haiku seems to be a simple description in the shasei tradition. Of course, the Sea of Galilee sits in the middle of the conflict zone. Beyond this contemporary reality, the sea is the setting for key events in the life of Jesus.
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- Do any of these haiku resonate with you?
- Are there Jewish-oriented haiku that you'd like to share?
- Have you composed haiku that touch upon or reflect Judaism and its teachings? Or related teachings in Christianity or Islam?
- Food and cooking are central to the experience of many cultures, and are often tied to religious events and holidays. Beyond Judaism, have you seen (or written) haiku that reflects this?
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Notes:
(1) Mel Goldberg, in The Sacred in Contemporary Haiku, ed. Robert Epstein (CreateSpace, 2014), p. 108.
(2) Bruce Ross, in The Sacred in Contemporary Haiku, ed. Robert Epstein, p. 195.
(3) David Grayson, in Hebrew Haiku Newsletter, 2005. Translated by David Grayson and John Kinory.
(4) Zinovy Vayman, in Lishanu: An Interlingual Haikai Journal (Autumn 2005, Issue 1). http://xaiku.com/lishanu/01/haiku/vayman1.htm: Accessed September 6, 2015. Note: The original poem was published in Yiddish.
(5) Rick Black. Cornell University Mann Library's Daily Haiku. http://haiku.mannlib.cornell.edu/category/author/rick-black/page/7/: Accessed September 6, 2015.
Thanks for sharing these, David. I wrote one with a Jewish theme that is being published in Modern Haiku:
Passover moon...
the journey that begins
with this ending
Rebecca Drouilhet
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks for sharing! I actually came across your poem in Modern Haiku, which of course I recently received in the mail.
I love the layers in the haiku, and what each reflects: the "ending" of the Israelites' residence in Egypt and the "beginning" of their journey in the desert. In terms of our own lives, Passover takes places in spring, a time in nature for new beginnings.
Finally, I like the use of "moon" since Passover begins at sundown.
- David