Knowledge you want, I want quiet.
Now it’s my turn to pound
Torah into you
And words that commit you wholehearted
To the path I will propound.
Hear the truth from whoever told it
And that’s me – your teacher,
Here before you and what I demand
Is to step back a little from yourself,
Change your tack
And welcome the great illumination
Of knowledge according to my path,
Religion according to my approach
Along the lines acceptable to people
Who walk along together in the same furrow
And that other cry within you
Stifle
Forget all the storeys of thought
And deducing deductions
That are dangerous
For know just this
Every year we have another girl like that
With problematic nail varnish,
Violet hair
And rock’n’roll on her blouse
Who imagines she’ll be able to remain
In the independent pasture for all time
To graze in learning,
To see the mind
And after a few years
The lightning in her’s gone somewhere
And the simple sound of the collective
Beats out of her mouth
And my justice is with us
To our satisfaction.
(2017)
Translated by: Atar Hadari
Read Hebrew version: המורה
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צילום: מעין אלכסנדר