Talmud In Verse

By Justice Michel M. J. Shore

In memory of my dear father, Sigmond Shore, Shimshon ben HaRav Michael Arie (1909-1967) who taught me when I was a very young child that each word I utter is a bond.

To take an oath in vain is forbidden
By the Ten Commandments, as we are created
In the image of G-d to bring dignity
To our earthly presence as in heaven.

Thus, words are not to be uttered lightly.
Each word is a bond to realization
In the annals of space and time, recorded
Whether in relationships or transactions.

An oath of a witness in a courtroom,
Or an oath in trust of property held,
As an oath for possession transmitted,
As well, an object to be safeguarded,

All exemplify traits of character
For the soul’s nobility bestowed in trust.