Today was Yom HaShoah, the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

It is a solemn day which focuses on the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis in World War 2. 

In Israel, at 10 a.m in the morning, sirens blare throughout the country. 

For what seems an endless two minutes, sirens wail mournfully and the country comes to a standstill to honor those who perished. 

It is eerie to see what unfolds when the siren sounds. 

People literally stop in place, drivers pull over and stand somberly near their cars, everything becomes frozen in time. 

Today, something very precious  coincided with the sounding of the siren. 

A 90 year old Holocaust survivor, Mr. Nathan Weinberg, was serving as a Sandek, the honor of holding the baby, at his great grandson’s Brit Milah. Wrapped in his talit and teffilin, Mr. Weinberg held the baby on his lap while it was being lovingly ushered into the holy covenant of theJewish people. 

As the Brit was concluding the siren rang out. 

The officiants paused, and the camera focused on the emotional expression on the great grandfather’s face as the baby and the siren wailed in synchronization. 

The emotion in the room was palpable. 

The crying of new life in concert with the siren which represents death, symbolized  Mr. Weinberg’s victory.  

He defeated the Nazis by building a life in the face of his loss. 

At this Brit, he is celebrating the birth of his 49th great grandchild. 

This is Mr. Weinberg’s personal victory over Hitler, building eternity after a long, dark chapter of death and destruction. 

This week’s Torah portion is called Acharei Mot, which means after the death. 

It refers to the time after the death of two of Aaron the High Priest’s sons. 

After that tragic event, Gd teaches Aaron about the sanctity of the Tabernacle and the holiness of the Yom Kippur holiday. 

Rabbi Yaakov Bender, beloved Torah leader in New York, shares a beautiful thought to help us understand a relevant message. 

Aaron responded to the tragedy of this unspeakable loss, in silence. 

He faced the pain with dignity and calm. 

This is not because Aaron was unable to speak. He was well known as the master mediator who brought peace amongst those who were in conflict. Aaron was also chosen by Gd to be his brother Moses spokesman, so he clearly is a man of words, but in this instance Aaron remains quiet, here he chose silence. 

Rabbi Bender explains that this is only part of Aaron’s response. The other reaction was his filling the void left by his loss with more holiness. He created and built a new reality in the Tabernacle that would replace what had been lost.

Because of this elevated response, Gd spoke directly to Aaron and taught him the laws regarding holiness in the Tabernacle. Specifically, that a priest may not participate in the Temple service in a state of intoxication. 

This law was transmitted in a direct speech between Gd and Aaron. 

Just as Aaron sanctified himself by NOT speaking inappropriately, Gd honored him by speaking to him directly. 

Our Sages teach us that while a drunkard may be more excited in his spiritual yearnings, he is not serene, and without composure he cannot fully experience the sanctity of the moment. 

Gd was telling Aaron, you showed your faith by reacting to this blow with calm and composure, you will therefore merit being the one to teach all that Divine service can only be done with composure and concentration. 

In this way, Aaron was able to teach one and all there is a chapter that comes “after the death”, he modeled that there can be life after a very dark chapter. 

(We are not on the level of Aaron’s spiritual development, nor were we intended to aspire to that level. He was the High Priest, and we are not expected to respond as he did, but we can glean the lesson he modeled of finding strength to move on)

That is the chapter of 

“after the death”. 

How does one continue after facing tragedy?

Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, a teacher of Torah who passed away in 1990 shared the idea that we need to go through life with pockets in our heart. There is a pocket that carries the tears, the anguish and suffering, but in order to survive, one must sometimes zip up that pocket and open another which contains strength and happiness. 

“It does not mean you ignore the pain, it means you know where to put it and when to pull it out״. 

Sometimes when we reach a difficult chapter, and we can’t understand…sometimes the only option is to keep moving on. 

We must find away to continue. 

Aaron the High Priest was a father who suffered the unimaginable loss of two of his sons. The chapter was extremely bleak, one he could not begin to understand at all. 

In order to continue, Aaron first experienced the chapter, he then felt the pain, and eventually he was able to move on to build a future. 

“In our own difficulties, we have to learn how to mourn -and really feel the pain-but also find a way to rise above it. “

Death is real and tragedy is painful. 

But while we are gifted with life we must find the strength to gingerly zip up the pocket of pain and live life as best as we can. 

That is the chapter of living life “after death”

Mazel Tov Mr. Weinberg, may you have much nachat, much joy, from the family you have built “after the death”. 

You personify the lessons of Aaron the High Priest. 

L’Chaim! To Life!

Shabbat Shalom and so much love.