Touching this feels like a lifeline,
connected.
I hear Barbra singing Poppa.
I see her at the Statue of Liberty in Yentl.
I see my Grandpa Ben,
and
I feel him kissing me on the keppee.
Ah, there’s my grandfather, my namesake,
Louis
Elijah,
EliyahuElijah is a biblical prophet who is said never to have died. There are therefore many legends associated with Elijah. In the Talmud, unresolved arguments will be resolved when Elijah comes. He will herald the coming of the messiah. In Jewish ritual, Elijah is a liminal figure, arriving at moments of danger and transition – at a brit milah, a chair is put out for him, a cup is poured for Elijah at the Passover seder, and he is invoked at havdalah. His Hebrew name is Eliyahu.
Ayelet.
Connected,
touching this tallisA 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. feels like a lifeline.
This tallis I wrap,
wrapped and feeling warm.
It is the warmth of a hand.
This hand,
his hand,
as we sat in the pew.
The big hand on his suit pant covered knee,
fingers ever so slightly moving threads,
over and under the knots,
touching the tzitzitA set of fringes tied and knotted on each of the four corners of a tallit, symbolizing and reminding the user of God's commandments. Some Jews wear tzizit under their clothes at all times, with the fringes visible.,
counting two by two
while sitting in the pew,
looking for the thread that’s blue.
The warmth,
wrapped,
feelings,
connected.
The hug with the tinge of Old Spice.
The glow of knowing your tallis.
The one well worn,
in your own religious ways,
and those eight pm Sundays.
Evenings we drove
to minyanThe group of ten adult Jews needed to read from the Torah and to recite some of the most important communal prayers. In Orthodox communities, a quorum of ten men is traditionally required. Today, most liberal Jewish communities count all Jewish adults as part of a minyan.,
to count to ten
men.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
OK? Yes.
Minyan let’s begin.
It was our time.
And though, back then,
I didn’t officially make the quorum.
One day,
they would come to include women.
Counted,
connected
wrapped,
feeling warmth in this tallis and tefillin.
This tallis and now Mom has one, too.
She’s here,
we’re here,
with something new.
“What?”you ask.
A guardian angel is in our pew.
Believe in,
believin’
wrapped in tallit and tefillin, anew.
We sit in the pew,
Le Petite Prince and I,
with our seahorse spirit—
Ah—That’s it!
-
the keypah
-
the atarah
-
the tallis
-
the shel yadLit. Hand. The pointer used when reading the Torah, usually shaped like a tiny hand at its point.
-
the shel rosh
-
the tzitzit
-
the knots
-
the betrothal
-
the shemaThe most central prayer in Jewish liturgy, the Shema states: "Hear O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is One." These words are written inside mezuzot and t'fillin. It is traditionally said during all major services and when waking and going to sleep.
-
the four corners
Ah, that’s where I’ll begin.
That’s where I belong,
to count this minyan,
that I’ll wrap myself in.
And one day,
I acknowledge,
we’ll be together again.
The lifeline,
that envelopes us,
as this tallis does,
one thread after another,
one generation becomes another,
connected.
We are one.
One,
yet not alone.
We’ve shone,
from star to star,
near and far,
shining,
intertwining,
touching,
connecting.
This tallis,
This tefillin,
this angel,
believe In,
believing.
Because one day, I know,
come rain, sun or snow,
my kids will touch these too,
while counting threads
in a pew
with you.
