If I am not for myself, who will be?*
Today, October 7, 2024 brings us to the first azkara/memorial of the Hamas attack one year ago. At Kadima, we lost our dear Hayim Katsman z”l collectively, and many of us have connections to one or many of the other 1200+ Israeli residents who were murdered or one or many of the over 250 taken hostage that day. In the year since, we learned retroactively about others we are connected to who were killed on October 7, or were killed while being held hostage since that day.
And if I am only for myself, what am I?*
The anniversary highlights that every single day since October 7 last year has brought carnage and devastation in Palestine and now Lebanon with over 46,000 dead in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon combined. Many in our community mourn individuals who have been murdered, fear the worse for those still missing perhaps under rubble, long for the release of the political prisoner, and demand an end to the horrid genocidal destruction.
If not now, when?*
Each human life is an entire world. Today is a day to mourn the loss of so many worlds. Let yourself.
Today is a day to mourn because so few of the last 365 days have provided the space to do so. So little time has been spent observing Jewish mourning ritual – it has been denied from us by the State of Israel’s reactive, ongoing, cynical, and shocking disregard for further life – so dissonant in part because the mourner’s kaddish is a prayer of the exaltation of life itself.
Allow yourself to mourn today, perhaps in the company of others or the flame of a candle, exactly because we hold life to be the utmost value. Protecting and defending life with all we have by continuing to work for ceasefire, an end to genocide, along with hostage and prisoner return must also mean taking time to honor and grieve its loss, showing that respect for the dead and comfort to the mourner are paramount mitzvot.
May all of their memories be a blessing and may peace be upon them. But also, may peace be upon those who still live – may, in these 10 Days of Awe, there be a return to sanctify and protect all life and may we have the resilience and stamina to continue to hold our people's leaders to it until and after they do. How can collective teshuvah be possible without it?
L’zichronot – in memoriam,
R’ David
-
Italicized lines above come from the famous teaching from Hillel found in Pirkei Avot 1:14
Today, October 7, 2024 brings us to the first azkara/memorial of the Hamas attack one year ago. At Kadima, we lost our dear Hayim Katsman z”l collectively, and many of us have connections to one or many of the other 1200+ Israeli residents who were murdered or one or many of the over 250 taken hostage that day. In the year since, we learned retroactively about others we are connected to who were killed on October 7, or were killed while being held hostage since that day.
And if I am only for myself, what am I?*
The anniversary highlights that every single day since October 7 last year has brought carnage and devastation in Palestine and now Lebanon with over 46,000 dead in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon combined. Many in our community mourn individuals who have been murdered, fear the worse for those still missing perhaps under rubble, long for the release of the political prisoner, and demand an end to the horrid genocidal destruction.
If not now, when?*
Each human life is an entire world. Today is a day to mourn the loss of so many worlds. Let yourself.
Today is a day to mourn because so few of the last 365 days have provided the space to do so. So little time has been spent observing Jewish mourning ritual – it has been denied from us by the State of Israel’s reactive, ongoing, cynical, and shocking disregard for further life – so dissonant in part because the mourner’s kaddish is a prayer of the exaltation of life itself.
Allow yourself to mourn today, perhaps in the company of others or the flame of a candle, exactly because we hold life to be the utmost value. Protecting and defending life with all we have by continuing to work for ceasefire, an end to genocide, along with hostage and prisoner return must also mean taking time to honor and grieve its loss, showing that respect for the dead and comfort to the mourner are paramount mitzvot.
May all of their memories be a blessing and may peace be upon them. But also, may peace be upon those who still live – may, in these 10 Days of Awe, there be a return to sanctify and protect all life and may we have the resilience and stamina to continue to hold our people's leaders to it until and after they do. How can collective teshuvah be possible without it?
L’zichronot – in memoriam,
R’ David
-
Italicized lines above come from the famous teaching from Hillel found in Pirkei Avot 1:14
RSS Feed