No sheets drape our mirrors. No hard stools beckon us to sit. No torn ribbons hang from our clothes. No candles burn through our long nights.
But make no mistake.
We are in mourning;
our people are in mourning;
collectively we are sitting 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..
Grief courses through our veins,
carried on the DNA of our history.
Auschwitz. Dachau. Pogroms.
Now IsraelLit. ''the one who struggles with God.'' Israel means many things. It is first used with reference to Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32:29), the one who struggles with God. Jacob's children, the Jewish people, become B'nai Israel, the children of Israel. The name also refers to the land of Israel and the State of Israel., no longer our safe haven.
How far back must our memory stretch?
How much history can we absorb?
We are grief stricken. We are numb.
Our hearts are broken.
Life goes on around us,
as though nothing has happened.
But something has happened – something unspeakable.
It must be spoken.
We haven’t found the right words yet.
Only these:
Yitgadal v’yitkadash sh’mei raba…
