The Second Sh’mini Atzeret After October 7, 2023
The Second Sh’mini Atzeret After October 7, 2023
Sh’mini Atzeret
‘Eighth Day
of Closure’
the autumn sacred season
concluded
with solemnity
Yizkor
recited again
(just twelve days after
Yom Kippur)
remembrance
of those who once lived
amongst us
integral
to the tasks
of the living
to the obligation
L’Chayyim!
‘To Life’!
plural
in which sorrow is
intertwined
with Joy.
And so
Simchat Torah
‘Joy of Torah’
on the same day
(or the day after)
Torah scrolls
dancing
to the rhythm of our feet
circling round and round
to celebrate
the turning of the cycle
from the death of Moses
to the creation of the world
from ending to beginning.
Mourning
and rejoicing
a peculiar
essential
Jewish
conjunction
And now
the second Sh’mini Atzeret
after
the desecration
of Sh’mini Atzeret 5784
October 7, 2023
hope
following the release of
the remaining hostages
the free-flow of aid
and
in the-time-to-come:
a permanent
end to
death
destruction
occupation
out of chaos
a new leadership
of home-grown
justice-and-peace-builders
(Israelis
Jewish and Palestinian
Palestinians
Muslim and Christian)
a new beginning
for all
who live
between
the river and the sea.
Rabbi Elli Tikvah Sarah