I wrote this poem for the occasion of Shavuot, when we commemorate the revelation at Sinai. In the TalmudReferring to one of two collections, the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, edited in the 6th century, that contains hundreds of years of commentary, discussion, and exploration of the ideas in the Mishnah. One could describe it as Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud (Shavuot 39a), it is explained that not only those Jews who were physically at Sinai were present to receive the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition.: “From where do I derive that the subsequent generations, and the converts who will convert in the future, were also included? The verse states: ‘And also with he who is not here with us this day.’ “

When I converted in college, a friend of mine who would later be ordained at JTS explained this midrashThis word is used in two ways, as both a concept and a literature. As a concept, midrash is the expansive interpretation of biblical texts. The term is used to describe the practice of rabbinic interpretation. As a text, it refers to specific collections of interpretations, particularly from the third to ninth centuries in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. Plural: Midrashim
to me – that as a convert, I was remembering that my soul was that of a Jew.

I also believe that as someone born transgender, I only had to remember that I always longed to take my place at the side of other Jewish women. I hope that one day, our society will accept not only converts to Judaism as fully Jewish in body and in spirit, but also realize that those of us who change our gender do so to match our souls inside.

Revelation
By: Yakira Keshet

There are no new souls,
A friend once said to me,
I only had to
Remember

The girl I was once,
And who I would become.
So I will try to
Remember

The love I left there,
And those who made me leave.
But will they one day
Remember

The person they knew,
Or she who stands here now
To say that she still
Remembers?

Adapted and shared with permission by Yakira Keshet.