Moses’ Prayer – A Sonnet

Michelangelo's Moses

Thus our teacher begins his final plea:
Merciful Judge of all created things!
God, whose right hand lies beneath the wings
Of fierce Holy Hayyoth — who has shown me
At Oreb’s mount the impossible degree
Of undeserved kindness His mercy brings,
And at Kadesh His mighty strength that swings
The heavenly scales He holds for charity!

Roll Your boundless mercy, conquer Your anger,
And I will cross the Jordan to the land
Where you commanded me to bring your nation!

But God answers His dear servant: no longer
Speak with me of this request. My hand
Does not make False eternal declaration.

About the Author

Shai Goldman spent three years studying talmud at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He is currently pursuing his bachelors in Computer Science at Columbia University. There, while taking the required core literature courses, he fell in love with poetry, and began writing poems of his own. His recent book, "Poems on the Parsha," is available on Amazon.