Direct Your Hearts to Her Strength-מורתי מרשה פרגר

מורתי מרשה פרגר

From someone you touched deeply many years ago.

May the Holy Blessed One grant you Peace,

Eyal Levinson

I met Reb Marcia in 1997 when I joined The Jewish Renewal Life Center. That year changed my life. In January 2006, Reb Marcia, as the dean of the ALEPH Ordination Program, signed my rabbinic ordination certificate.Today I live in Abirim, in northern Israel, with my life-long partner Amnon our cats and dogs. I currently work on my dissertation, which focuses on medieval Jewish sexualities and masculinities.

This poem is an acrostic constructed from biblical verses.

The title of the poem is MORATI MARCIA PRAGER (My Teacher Marcia Prager).

Each letter of the title corresponds to a line in the poem respectively.

מִי–פֶתִי יָסֻר הֵנָּה חֲסַר–לֵב אָמְרָה לּוֹ:
וְיָשְׁבָה לְפֶתַח בֵּיתָהּ עַל–כִּסֵּא מְרֹמֵי קָרֶת:
רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּיהֹוָה לַיְשָׁרִים נָאוָה תְהִלָּה:
תְּחִלַּת חָכְמָה יִרְאַת יְהֹוָה וְדַעַת קְדֹשִׁים בִּינָה:
יְהוָה בְּחָכְמָה יָסַד–אָרֶץ כּוֹנֵן שָׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה:
מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב:
רָאוּ עֲנָוִים יִשְׂמָחוּ דֹּרְשֵׁי אֱלֹהִים וִיחִי לְבַבְכֶם:
שִׁיתוּ לִבְּכֶם לְחֵילָה פַּסְּגוּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ לְמַעַן תְּסַפְּרוּ לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן:
הֲלֹא–חָכְמָה תִקְרָא וּתְבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלָהּ:
פִּיהָ פָּתְחָה בְחָכְמָה וְתוֹרַת–חֶסֶד עַל–לְשׁוֹנָהּ:
רַבּוֹת בָּנוֹת עָשׂוּ חָיִל וְאַתְּ עָלִית עַל–כֻּלָּנָה:
גְּמָלַתְהוּ טוֹב וְלֹא–רָע כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיהָ:
רָנִּי בַּת–צִיּוֹן הָרִיעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂמְחִי וְעָלְזִי בְּכָל–לֵב בַּת יְרוּשָׁלָם

חַכְמוֹת נָשִׁים בָּנְתָה בֵיתָהּ וְאִוֶּלֶת בְּיָדֶיהָ תֶהֶרְסֶנּוּ

Here is my translation of the biblical verses that make up this Hebrew acrostic.

My Teacher Marcia Prager

Whoever is gullible, let him turn in here; to him that lacks understanding, she said to him (Prov. 9, 4)

And she sat at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city: (Prov. 9, 14)

Rejoice in Yah, O you tzadikim, praise is comely for the upright (Ps. 33, 1)

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of Yah, and the knowledge of the kedoshim is understanding (Prov. 9, 10)

Yah by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding S/He established the heavens. (Prov. 3, 19)

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down (Prov. 6, 10)

The humble shall see it, and be glad; you who seek God, let your heart revive (Ps. 69, 33)

Direct your hearts to her strength, climb her palaces; that you may tell it to the following generation (Ps. 48, 14)

Does not wisdom call, and understanding raises her voice? (Prov. 8, 1)

She opens her mouth with wisdom; and the law of kindness is on her tongue (Prov. 31, 26)

Many daughters have done valiantly, but you excelled them all (Prov. 31, 29)

She does him good and not evil all the days of her life (Prov. 31, 12)

Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. (Zeph. 3, 14)

Women’s wisdom is the foundations of her house; and evil she will destroy with her hands (Prov. 14, 1)