From Rosh HaShanah to Yom Kippur, the prayer Unetaneh Tokef proclaims that the Book of Life is open. It is a difficult prayer, a prayer that challenges many people’s theology, yet one that calls to us. And it is all the more difficult if we ourselves are ill or at end of life or if someone we love is…
Within Unetaneh Tokef*, we read:
On Rosh Hashanah it is written,
on Yom Kippur it is sealed:
How many shall pass on, how many shall come to be;
who shall live and who shall die,
who shall see ripe age and who shall not;
who shall perish by fire and who by water;
who by sword and who by beast;
who by hunger and who by thirst,
who by earthquake and who by plague;
who by strangling and who by stoning
But repentance, prayer and righteousness temper judgment’s severe decree
 *Translation: Gates of Repentance
For most of us, we live not only those ten days but the rest of the year painfully aware of life’s fragility: the Book of Life’s pages fluttering.
What if we freed these words from death and turned them toward life and healing?
Our revised prayer begins:
On Rosh HaShanah through Yom Kippur and beyond
we recognize that brokenness of body or soul
is not punishment.Â
Nor is it a decree.
We wonder…
How many will be healed and how many will be cured;
Who will live with illness and who will be in remission;
Who will advocate for themselves and who will advocate for others;
Who will quietly persevere and who will share their story
Imagine if…
Who by fire and who by water…
brings to mind a warm bath
who by the sword and who by beast…
envisions the medical instruments that cut into us to make us whole
after which a comfort animal arrives at our bedside
who by hunger and who by thirst…
makes us think of the hunger and thirst for healing
when the pain has become just too great to avoid a surgery any longer
who by earthquake and who by plague;
we move mountains to bring healing
and suffer from the contagion of inadequate access to health care
who by strangling and who by stoning
could the malignant cells be strangled
could the stones be a hot stone massage
Rather than:
But repentance, prayer and righteousness temper judgment’s severe decree
Inner strength, circles of love embracing us, and medical advances allow us to live life to its fullest.
