It’s been one of the worst weeks that I can remember. I have felt a sense of anguish, a sadness, an anger that’s hard to put into words. As a lover of Jewish texts, I’ve tried to search for some comfort in our canon. I’ve tried to find where our tradition speaks to me, in this moment.
The tractate of Mishna about Berakhot, blessings, outlines all kinds of rules about prayers and when we say them and how. One particular Mishna teaches, “If one’s dead is before them, they are exempt from reciting the Shema, from the Amida, and from wearing tefillin” (Mishna Berakhot, 3:1). “One’s dead” means that one is responsible for the burial of their loved one; they are a direct mourner. This is a significant exemption--there are almost no other reasons the rabbis exempt us from the fulfillment of these daily obligations.
Our tradition exempts an immediate mourner, as they prepare for burial, from participating in some of the most basic of religious expressions. These are very clear, important, daily mitzvot, so why is one in this position exempt from them?
One reason is about a sense of urgency. Our tradition imagines that we are an obligated people – always engaged in one religious obligation or another. There is a hierarchy, and when we are engaged in one type of obligatory commandment, we are exempt from another. The obligation of caring for our dead supersedes many other mitzvot.
The tradition knows when we are so deep in our grief, we don’t have the mental capacity to devote to mitzvot that require special attention and focus. The rabbis grant the mourner compassionate understanding; they need not leave that state of mourning and attempt to do the everyday stuff of life.
What has felt so unimaginably hard about this moment is that we are all mourners. We are all grieving. This is now our most important obligation. What so many outside of our community fail to grasp is that Israel is not just a place we learn about or even just visit as a tourist; it’s not just a place in our history books and our Bible. Israel is home to us, whether we’ve lived there or not. Our connections to the people and the land are on the level of family, and we, collectively, are in unbearable grief as our family suffers.
Our dead are before us, how can we think about anything else? It has been nearly impossible to think about or focus attention on anything besides the atrocities that are happening in Israel, and it’s clear, the atrocities are not over. More Israelis will die, and I as I write this, Israel is preparing for a ground invasion in Gaza and from which thousands of Palestinians will experience dire consequences. The pain and heartbreak abounds.
As a nation, we are in a moment of responsibility to our dead. Not all of us bear the direct responsibility of burying relatives, but all of us are called into a world of obligation that looks vastly different than it did one week ago. If we are anything, we are a people connected to one another. We are a people obligated to one another. We are Am Echad b’Lev Echad, one people, with one heart.
With prayers for peace, shalom, for all of us, for our people, and for all people. Rabbi Sarit
Many of you have asked for a list of organizations that are doing important work on the ground in Israel. Here are a few:
Jewish Federations of North America - Responding, working with their core partners to support victims of terror, help rebuild damaged infrastructure, and address the unprecedent levels of trauma caused by this horrific attack.
IsraAID – partners with local and civil society organizations to coordinate humanitarian efforts, providing psychosocial support and urgent aid to vulnerable communities, evacuees, and their families. Joint Distribution Committee - a leading Jewish humanitarian organization that is supporting Israelites who are currently in the line of fire, including vulnerable populations.
NATAL - The Israel Trauma and Resiliency Center – Israel’s national organization to provide treatment and mental health support to Israelis, including victims of terror and Israeli soldiers, with trauma resulting from terrorism and military service.
United Hatzalah - Israel’s National Volunteer Medical Response Service often on the front lines of a terror attack first, ensuring victims are cared for until ambulances and medical personnel can arrive.
