Let’s Not Destroy Midrashic Opinions Like Fake Works of Art

Unlike works of art that experts claim are fakes
and for this reason, experts say, should be destroyed,
opinions labeled by great experts as mistakes
may by a different group of experts be enjoyed.

Erroneous views can often teach us just why those
which experts tell us are correct are rightly praised,
precisely when aware of ones we should oppose,
which we of course can’t do once they have been erased.

If we could learn about great art from fakes we should
preserve the fakes. However, probably we can’t,
but we can learn a lot about opinions that are good
by looking at the wrong as just like truth, aslant.

Midrashim are, seen slant, fake Jewish history,
but about their faking facts do not complain.
The spin that they provide reveals a mystery
more beautiful than the peshat that’s pure and plain.

About the Author

Gershon Hepner is a poet who has written over 25,000 poems on subjects ranging from music to literature, politics to Torah. He grew up in England and moved to Los Angeles in 1976. Using his varied interests and experiences, he has authored dozens of papers in medical and academic journals, and authored "Legal Friction: Law, Narrative, and Identity Politics in Biblical Israel." He can be reached at gershonhepner@gmail.com.