The 55-year-old Rabbi’s new heart
Comes from a 22-year-old
Exotic dancer
Who fell head first
Off the stripper pole.
Two A positive souls
Who’d never meet in life.
Now when the Rabbi
Quotes some juicy Torah
He thinks he hears
His inner stripper laughing.
***
Written for dVerse.
*This title sucks. Suggestions for a better title are 1000% welcomed. Updated: peppermint came up with “Common Bond(age)s”, which I like much better. Thanks peppermint!
Hilarious! 😅
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Based on a true story, actually! I know an observant Jewish man who received a heart transplant from a stripper.
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I was thinking this is strange enough to be true! I will let you know if a better title comes to me!
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is he actually a rabbi?
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No – just an observant Jew. I turned him into a Rabbi for the poem. The donor was really a stripper.
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lol … I love this.
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Thanks! It’s actually based on a true story. I know an observant Jewish man who received a heart from a stripper.
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“Common Bond(age)s”?
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HAHA!!
I considered “Tassels and Torah” or “Torah and Titties”, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. I like your option better.
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I don’t know, Torah and Titties is pretty awesome!
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It is hilarious! But even though G-d created breasts, I just felt this one was a little too sacrilegious for my taste. I just couldn’t do it.
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I decided to go with your suggestion. Thank you for the inspiration!
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Wow! Amazing story (I read that it’s based on truth in your comments) and a fabulous take on it. It’s a great poem. I am trying to think about the title. You don’t want to give away that fun end in the title. It could be something like: The Rabbi’s Heart… boring but to the point.
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Good point – I don’t want to give away the whole poem in just the title. Gotta leave something to be revealed at the end. As always thank you for the feedback!
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This is just toooo much fun! Love it! Thanks for the smile today! (And love that it’s a true story!)
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Thank you for the prompt that inspired this!
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My pleasure!
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The best stories have an element of truth!
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They really do. Life is stranger and more ironic than fiction.
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Ahh, good one!
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Thanks!
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This one made me smile! You hit a home run on this one.
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Thanks! It’s based on a true story, actually. I’m merely the reteller.
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“Common Bond(age)s” by peppermint has my vote 🤣 Good story!
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It is a killer title! Might wind up being my vote too!
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This one left me laughing aloud. Thanks for a bright spot in my day!!
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed.
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My hubby thinks a good title might be “Shofar show good!”
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Ha! The puns just write themselves. That’s hilarious
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I know, right?! 😜 He was trying to come up with something with Tzittzit…
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There’s actually a story in the Talmud about a man who was going to sin with a prostitute and then his tzitzit stopped him. It’s a reference though that doesn’t fit for this poem, but food for thought nonetheless.
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Wow, it’s so humorous and fascinating–I bet he hears that inner stripper every now and then! That’s amazing it’s based on a true story, and I find it beautiful how different parts of ourselves can live on in others (literally). Beautifully penned.
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Thank you! The observant Jewish man who inspired this story would joke about his inner stripper, or his exotic dancer side at times. It really is fascinating how parts of us live on after death, figuratively or literally.
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That is sad, happy and hilarious all at the same time.
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I actually hadn’t intended it as a funny poem, though it certainly does have some humor. The death of a 22-year-old is really tragic. Even as she was able to save life, it’s still sad that she died, especially so young.
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It’s terrible and tragic to think she was only 22 and simply doing something she loved.
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That is a fabulous poem!! 😮 Mazel tov! 😮
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Thanks!
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Epic idea. Perhaps his heart picked up some other tricks to pass along?
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Perhaps!
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Perfect, concise tale.
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Thank you!
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Not Torah, but it must be a riot reading the Song of Solomon
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Lol, yes!
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oh wow. this left a chuckle.
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Thanks!
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What a pairing! This is an amusing quadrille 🙂
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We have more in common than we think, perhaps. Different professions and life experience, but same human bodies
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Very true!
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Ha, a good one. 🙂
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Thank you!
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Hahaha! This is an amazing story but your retelling takes the cake! Ah, well ..the bakery too!
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Thanks, I feel honored! No higher praise than taking the whole bakery!! 😍
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You are so welcome! 😊❤️
Errr…would you mind sharing a piece of that yummy blueberry cheesecake! 😉
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You can have all the blueberry cheesecake you want!
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Thank you!
You don’t like cheesecake?
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I love cheesecake. I don’t love blueberries. Help yourself 😊
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Okay. 😊 Lucky me!
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Love this one!
Can imagine it. How awkward! 🙂
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Thanks! I think it is a sign of our common humanity. We may pick different religions, different life experiences, professions, but we are all human in body.
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Somehow . . . charming. Title: “Observe This
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Hmm, interesting. Thanks for the suggestion!
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An amazing story. Very well penned👌👌🙏
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Thank you!
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Could this be more clever? More funny? Nope.
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Thank you!
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Reminds me of the 35-year-old lady rabbi I met. Enough to make me convert. Or does it? Very nicely done.
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Ok, I want to hear more about this story. Do tell about your lady Rabbi friend!
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I went to a panel discussion on prayer. She was not my idea of a rabbi, but maybe she was a cantor. I forget. Anyway, there was a Jews for Christ “rabbi” on the panel and she made it clear he was not a Jew. One was a retired Presbyterian minister or some such. And a lone atheist. She was remarkable, lovely, and friendly. But she had a following in the audience. 🙂
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I love the story… and to me I think the rabbi probably became a better rabbi with an inner stripper.
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I think we all have an inner stripper, in a way. Strippers are just as human as the rest of us.
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I love this poem–and also that it’s based on a true story.
I have a friend who has an artificial heart!
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There must be a poem to be written about an artificial heart!
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That’s what I was thinking when I typed that. 😀
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This is absolutely fabulous!! 💝💝
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Thank you!
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I laughed, I cried, I found there to be considerably more depth on the second reading, and now all I can do to supplement my feeble “like” is to simply tell you directly – delightful stuff.
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Thank you so much! I wanted this to feel multi-layered. This means so much!
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truth is stranger than fiction i guess, and sometimes poetic ideas just fall from the sky… this was very clever. i’ll bet his hips start swinging whenever he hears techno
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I sometimes think we all have an inner exotic dancer of sorts – this Rabbi’s is just a bit more literal than the rest of us!
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