It is with a very heart that I take pen to paper.
The Atlanta Jewish community is reeling over the loss of a young person whose life was tragically cut short.
Everyone is grappling with the pain, worrying about the family and trying to make sense of the horrific event.
There are no easy answers.
We know life is finite.
But life should be long, and should end in old age.
Here the end came so very, very prematurely.
It is hard to imagine where to find a source to withstand such pain.
In this week’s Torah portion
the Jewish people stood before Moses, on the last day of his life.
It is recorded in the Torah that they were standing before him on that day:
Atem Nitzavim HaYom
You are standing Today.
(This week’s Torah portion is called Nitzavim, standing)
We are acutely aware of Today. There are no guarantees of tomorrow.
We have to use the time allotted to us with care and thought because none of us know for certain that there is another day to come.
When the Jewish nation were standing with Moses as he was sharing the wisdom they needed to forge on, they were made aware of the challenges that they would confront in the future.
They were apprised of shocking realities that could take place, realities that had the potential to shake the foundations of personal faith.
Nonetheless, they remained standing on that day, in other words, they remained resolute to be steadfast in their faith, traditions and way of life, despite the challenges they might encounter.
Rosh Hashana is also called The Day.
We recognize that on The Day of Rosh Hashana we want to create a closer level of connection to our Creator.
This is accomplished in many ways which are individual to each person.
Sivan Rahav Meir, Israeli teacher and journalist shared some suggestions:
She spoke to popular chassidic musician, Avraham Fried, and asked him for suggestions on how to connect to the liturgy as the words are repeated yearly and obviously do not change.
He replied by saying the words don’t change,
but I have changed.
I look at the words differently, based on my perspective of today.
Perhaps we can find a phrase or portion of the prayer and concentrate and meditate upon it based on the life and experiences we have lived this past year.
She then related that someone almost got run over by a motorcyclist. The rider did not look like an upstanding member of society. He apologized and explained he was very distracted as he had just returned from the grave of Rabbi Uri Zohar, the Israeli icon who overturned his fabulously successful life to pursue a life of meaning and spirituality.
The biker said he was ready to make changes in his life so he went to visit the master of change. The person who related the story suddenly realized they were being judgmental, making snap judgements based on appearances.
When we stand, on the day, which is the only day that counts, this day, we want to work on becoming a better version of ourselves.
We can try to find deeper connection in our spiritual connection to Gd and we can try to improve our relationship connection between one another.
On the day of Rosh Hashana any act of self improvement or self control brings about eternal connections.
If we can hold our tongues before lashing out in anger, or if we can reserve a negative judgment we literally change the world.
We cannot help but grieve for the bereaved and I am sure that we will come to learn many wonderful things their son did to make each day count.
May his memory be for a blessing and may we be reminded how precious The Day, and each and every day should be.
May it be a precious year of sweetness and healing for all.
Shabbat Shalom and so much love!