The blood in our veins
contains remnants
… from the ancient days of goddesses
… from the dimly remembered days
of idol worship and
talismans and the many gods
of love, war and wisdom
… from the days of the blood-red tents
… from the days when the ancestral Avot had more than one wife, more than one concubine, sanctioned by law and custom
… from the days when each moon cycle was noted and celebrated and
when the imahotLit. Mothers The foremothers, or matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. and their sister-wives had their own monthly holyday/holiday
… from the days of mayhem and slaughter and migration and women rent their garments and counted the dead…and we are still counting them
…from when counting the memorial candles meant not more light, not more enlightenment, not more wealth…but more dead to count…
we’ve counted for millennia, and still we count:
… the days of the month until the next new moon
… the 49 days of the OmerFrom the second day of Passover until Shavuot, Jews count seven weeks – seven times seven days – to commemorate the period between the Exodus from Egypt and the Revelation at Sinai. When the Temple stood, a certain measure (omer) of barley was offered on the altar each day; today, we merely count out the days.
… the 30 days of shloshimLit. Thirty The first thirty days after someone dies. This is an intermediate stage of mourning -- less intense than then initial week of shiva, but more intense than the remainder of the first year. It is customary not to shave or cut one's hair and not to attend social gatherings, parties, concerts etc during this time.
… the 11 months of KaddishThe Aramaic memorial prayer for the dead. Mourners recite this prayer at every service, every day, in the presence of a minyan (prayer quorum) over the course of a year (for a parent) or thirty days (for a sibling or offspring). The prayer actually makes no mention of the dead, but rather prays for the sanctification and magnification of God's name. Yatom
… the 10 Days of Awe and in-between
… the 7 days of shivaSeven-day mourning period following the funeral of a first-degree relative, during which time family members remain at home and receive visits of comfort. Other customs include abstinence from bathing and sex, covering mirrors, sitting lower than other visitors, and the lighting of a special memorial candle which burns for seven days.
… the yahrzeits
… the days until the next time …
We count so we too will be counted … amongst our people
in war, in peace, in health and in sickness and in-between
Limnot u’l’hitmanot / count and be counted
In memory of Linda H. Kriger z”l
In honor of the Countesses of MA and PA
