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“I found trouble and sorrow, but still I called upon the name of Adonai (Ps 116:3-4).”
Mourning tests our faith in ways unlike anything else that we experience in our lives. It may come as a surprise when we realise that faith in God often grows and matures when we face our greatest moments of disbelief. Often our religious beliefs are affirmed in unusual ways.
The traditional rituals of mourning bring us into frequent contact with God, slowly building and nurturing the covenantal relationship that was established by our ancestors at Sinai. In the process of mourning, we are reminded that our mortality is a shadow of God's divinity. And so we call out to God for solace and support, for hope and inspiration, At times, we also call on the Divine out of desperation. We know not where else to turn.
Our mourning also leads us into the arms of our fellows, especially those in the community that we live. We are often surprised at the Divine spark we find in the faces of those whose presence in our mourning process, is either a surprise, or that their face conjures up a moment of our loved ones that is so poignant that we react by crying or laughing or acting in a spontaneous way that would at any other time seem bizarre. We find God in the human arms that comfort us, the words and also the silent presence that reassures us that despite the painful emptiness and loneliness we may feel, there is always someone there for us. That is our community, our sacred community.
At this time when we stand before God and say to each other ‘Gemar Chatimah Tovah,’ may you be sealed in the Book of Life for Good, I feel so close to all those who have lost loves ones in the past few weeks. How difficult it is for you to be here with us to celebrate an Oneg Shabbat, the joy that comes with the Sabbath. Yet I hope and pray that you feel the comfort of the Divine, in your own faith in God and the People of Israel who sit and stand with you tonight. I hope and pray that you feel the comfort of the Divine through the words and hugs of your sacred community that acknowledges your pain and even though it be a fraction, also shares your pain.
There are not so many prayers recalled in full in the Talmud but this one seemed to me so apt for this Erev Shabbat Shuvah. May it bring us all comfort and strength at this difficult time.
May you live to see your world fulfilled.
May your destiny be for worlds still to come;
And may you trust in generations past and yet to be.
May your heart be filled with intuition and your words be filled with insight.
May songs of praise ever be upon your tongue and your vision be on a straight path before you.
May your eyes shine with the light of holy words and your face reflect the brightness of the heavens.
May your lips ever speak wisdom and your fulfillment be in righteousness even as you ever yearn to hear the words of the Holy Ancient One of Old.
Amen.
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