This past Sunday was the 17th of Tammuz, a day which begins a three week mourning period on the Jewish calendar. As we lead up to the 9th of Av, the day commemorating the destruction of the Temple (and Jewish life as they knew it), the calendar puts various elements in place to help guide us through the emotional turmoil of grief, death, pain, and displacement.
While typically the Haftarot that we chant on Shabbat mornings relate to the weekly parsha, for this time of year (through the High Holidays) they are linked to the calendar and this period of mourning. This week, we begin that cycle of Haftarot with words from the prophet Jeremiah. He utters one line that, this year, sticks out to me more than the others: וְנִלְחֲמ֥וּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ וְלֹא־י֣וּכְלוּ לָ֑ךְ כִּי־אִתְּךָ֥ אֲנִ֛י נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֖ה לְהַצִּילֶֽךָ׃ They will attack you, But they shall not overcome you; For I am with you—declares God—to save you.
The people at that time knew that destruction was coming. The trauma is imminent, and yet God, preemptively, tries to instill a sense of hope in the people. God tries to instill a sense of companionship, even in the face of unbearable pain. God tries to instill presence, even amidst what will be tremendous, life-altering devastation.
The spiritual technologies of our tradition, like these haftarot, are meant to situate us in the tragedy of two thousand years ago. But they also give us tools that guide us, at all times, through tragedy. I think this line from Jeremiah sticks out to me especially in the wake of the collapsed building in Miami last week. All week, I have watched as rescue and recovery teams worked their hardest to retrieve people, as families prayed and hoped for the lives of their loved ones, and as the Jewish world, in particular, rallied to support these families with love and hope.
Jeremiah reminds us that there will be destruction. There will be devastation. But our spirit will not be overcome because God is with us. I felt that as I watched the mayor of Miami-Dade county Danielle Levine Cava compassionately speak with families and effectively navigate a crisis. I felt that as I saw pictures of President Biden meeting with family members of those in the building, going from table to table, listening to each family and truly being with them in their waiting, praying, and hoping. And I felt that as I saw video footage of the IDF rushing to the scene, and movingly making kiddush last Friday night, invoking God’s presence amidst the rubble.
There was pain thousands of years ago for the Jewish people, and there are still moments of pain today in our world. Even in a situation where it feels like there aren’t opportunities for hope and redemption, even with each passing moment that we know brings less potential for good news, there are still important opportunities for accompaniment in grief. There are still moments of showing up, moments of humanity doing what we do best: embodying God’s presence in the moments of deepest, most profound pain. May each of us, and all humanity, be agents of God.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Sarit
Please click here to join our Shabbat morning service, live-streamed from our sanctuary at 9:15AM on Shabbat morning, or join us in person in the Sanctuary by signing up here.
