My neighborhood is radiant in its mourning
The trees burst forth
with brilliant crimsons and golds
we waited so long to see
As if to spread a balm
over our weary, broken hearts
Today I saw the very face of G-d in the world
I saw it in children with Lollipops happily skipping into services
I saw it when a woman, a leader in our community, lovingly helped her 97-year-old father, a HolocaustThe genocide of millions of European Jews--as well as other ethnic, religious and minority groups--by the Nazis during World War II. The tragic events of the Holocaust are now commemorated each year on Yom HaShoah; established in 1952 by the Israeli government. Shoah (calamity) has become the term used to describe the systemic mass slaughter that occurred during World War II. survivor, put on his tallitA four-cornered garment to which ritual fringes (tzitzit/tzitzi'ot) are affixed. The knots in the fringes represent the name of God and remind us of God's commandments. The tallit is worn during prayer and can also be drawn about oneself or around the bride and groom to symbolize divine protection.
I saw it when survivors of a mass shooting and hate crime came up to the TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. for a group AliyahLit. Ascending Being called up to recite the blessing before and after a Torah reading. Also, a term used upon moving to Israel (i.e., making aliyah)
I heard it in the voices raised in defiant love and sheer grit
I saw it in the community coming together to celebrate a bride and groom in our midst because it is ShabbatShabbat is the Sabbath day, the Day of Rest, and is observed from Friday night through Saturday night. Is set aside from the rest of the week both in honor of the fact that God rested on the seventh day after creating the world. On Shabbat, many Jews observe prohibitions from various activities designated as work. Shabbat is traditionally observed with festive meals, wine, challah, prayers, the reading and studying of Torah, conjugal relations, family time, and time with friends., because a newly married couple is to be celebrated even amidst our grief
because we turn our mourning into dancing
My neighborhood is radiant this afternoon in its mourning
Neighbors out strolling, greeting one another with Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom
Black hats and kippot mingling with jeans and nose piercings
People eating and laughing and speaking of love
People praying to God in full-throated ancient melodies
People showing up en masse to stand witness
The leaves begin to make their final descent to the earth
like so many bodies we laid to rest this past week before their time
As the trees become barren, the earth reminds us once again to capture these moments
of the cycle in which nature gives us just what we need
This Shabbat looks nothing like last Shabbat
And for today, at least,
it is radiant
