The tangled mess of grief
We sing a special prayer on Fridays before L’kha Dodi – the prayer that welcomes the Shabbat Bride to our midst – asking God to help us untangle our tangled places. (I have written about it before.
Years ago, I began using a patter that I had borrowed from Rabbi David Markus before I said the prayer. The original ad-lib was written to fit the Rizhyner melody of the prayer. But it has become a liturgy for my community. My son sometimes sings it for me. Some members of the community have quoted it. Now, the opening is part of every prayer. On Friday night everyone knew the outcome as soon as I started playing the chord.
You may have had a bad week. I sang.
“I’m not sure about you, but –“
When I looked down, I saw tears streaming down my cheeks.
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For the people who were shot and ripped from their homes. For those who attended the all-night party and danced until the end of the night. For the children who have been killed or kidnapped. For the lifelong peace activists who were killed and kidnapped. Last Shabbat, over 1,000 Jews were murdered. My friend’s partner grew on one of these now-massacred Kibbutzim. First responders who were tasked with locating and…
