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September 21, 2007
The Shofar Weeps
Karen and I are in the car, driving to the cemetery to visit Ariel's grave. There we will recite Tehillim, Psalms, pray, and contemplate this annihilating abyss in our lives.
Karen puts Rabbi Shlomo Riskin's Shabbat Shuva Drasha CD into the deck.
The title of Rabbi Riskin's lecture is: The Message of the Shofar as it Weeps on Rosh Hashanah Shouts Exceedingly on Yom Kippur, Confounds Satan and Vanquishes Iran
Rabbi Riskin was my counselor in Camp Massad when I was 7 years-old. He inspired me as a child and he inspires me still as an adult. The lecture is filled with riveting and luminous Torah insights.
Rabbi Riskin points out that one of the sounds of the shofar, the Teruah, is a broken sound signaling that G-d has created an imperfect world, a world that is a veil of tears. As we pull into the gates of the cemetery Rabbi Riskin says: “...a world where even some people die too young.”
Karen shivers and says: “No one will believe this.”
I can only shake my head. There are worlds within worlds.
We park. We walk to Ariel's grave. Karen gets down on her hands and knees and polishes our son's headstone. Lemon sunlight bounces off the black granite and blinds me for a moment. Seeing only dazzling white light, I try and and try and try to convince myself that our son is not under this earth.
But he is.
His physical body.
In the lecture Rabbi Riskin reminds us that prayer should be more than asking for a good year, for a good living, for good health; authentic prayer is not a tit-for-tat affair. He considers this small-minded. As the great Hasidic master Reb Nachman of Breslov taught we are really asking for spirituality, to be close to G-d, to make us resilient and strong. We're asking that redemption should soon arrive. And we're celebrating His Kingship. We are also joining with G-d in a partnership to complete and refine this imperfect world.
Karen and I wish all our friends a G'mar Chatima Tova, a lovely Shabbat, a meaningful Yom Kippur and fast.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at September 21, 2007 12:36 PM
Comments
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Shabbat Shalom.
Gmar chatimah tovah to you and Karen...and the girlses and son-in-law.
Posted by: Pearl at September 21, 2007 02:15 PM
G'mar Chatima Tova.
Posted by: Jack at September 21, 2007 02:33 PM
Robert,
Re: "In the lecture Rabbi Riskin reminds us that prayer should be more than asking for a good year, for a good living, for good health; authentic prayer is not a tit-for-tat affair."
It's sad that more religious figures do not make this point but instead put across what amount to a narcissistic narrative of what faith is all about. Perhaps this is a reflection our times.
Posted by: David at September 21, 2007 03:15 PM
Dear Robert and Karen,
What a truly lovely piece: sad, poignant but as is your talent Robert, lovely! I'll ask your forgiveness now because I just couldn't help it ... reading about your Ariel Z'TL made me think of my Ben Z'L and that I had written a chapter not unlike your piece today. I've taken the liberty to e-mail it to you.
May you and Karen have a healthy, happy and sweet New Year together with your other offspring:) and may the neshumos of our sons ascend to even greater heights so that-as you wrote in "A Stranger Among Us" ... 'they can look down upon us from above the clouds' (paraphrase, sorry!)
I am,
Very Sincerely yours,
Alan D. Busch
Posted by: alan at September 21, 2007 03:35 PM
G'mar Chasima Tova
May this year bring joy and blessings.
Posted by: Moishe3rd at September 21, 2007 04:23 PM
What a beautiful post. May you and your family be richly blessed in the new year to come.
Posted by: Joannah at September 21, 2007 08:19 PM
May your devotions allow you and Karen to receive the minor comforts so many of us wish to extend to you.
(Same for you, too, Alan.)
Posted by: Jeremiah at September 23, 2007 01:50 AM
Very moving post.
HaMakom yenachem et'chem b'toch shar avay'lay Tzion vee'Yerushalayim.
Best regards from Canada.
Posted by: Mark at September 23, 2007 03:18 AM
Karen and I thank you all for your kind and generous words. They are more comforting than you could ever know.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 23, 2007 10:12 AM
Beautiful. May the new year bring you and your family much happiness and many blessings.
Posted by: orieyenta at September 24, 2007 06:02 AM