Begin the Beget: A Poem for Every Aliyah of the Book of Genesis in the Torah

Begin the Beget opens The Chazak Chazak Project, a five-book series offering one original poem for every aliyah in the Torah, following the annual reading cycle from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This volume takes on the book of Genesis - Creation, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and his sons, the whole tangled beginning of a people's story - with humor, irreverence, and unexpected tenderness.

As Cantor Ross Wolman writes: "In Begin the Beget, Rick brings wit, nerve, and genuine theological depth to the Genesis of our people's story. It's commentary that argues, grieves, laughs, and refuses to let the text stay ancient."

Los Angeles poet Rick Lupert, a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, is the author of 30 books of poetry. He writes a weekly Torah portion poem for the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice, California. He also works as a music teacher at synagogues throughout Southern California, where he lives with his wife, son, and three cats.