Beyond the Bema

I sat early morning as I could not sleep, reading what I have written thus far for my spiritual autobiography that will be used for my beit din and mikvah, and it doesn’t seem like enough. I have literally lined out my spiritual journey from the age of five, yet it is missing something. I feel like I learn new lessons everyday, especially now that my soul is closer to HaShem and feel they are worth sharing.

Later on that morning I see on my phone the news outlets are just blowing up with reports of a shooting in Washington D.C. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the victims were Jewish who worked for the Israeli Consulate. They were leaving early from a seminar that was held at the Capital Jewish Museum. It was said the woman tried to crawl away, and the monster of a shooter shot her from behind to make sure she was dead. They had the shooter in custody. And he has the nerve to say “Free Palestine” as he is being escorted away. Protests, graffiti, antisemitic comments on Facebook or other social media, pretty much comes with the territory of being Jewish as of October 7th, 2023. But this senseless hate crime a quick train ride away from where I live? Talk about unnerving.

I picked up my prayer book and prayed a morning prayer. I didn’t really know what else to do. But I had a talk with God. And I asked him how he could allow such a senseless act happen, when there is already so much going on? I told him “we need peace, and we certainly don’t need the conflict to come on American soil. America is supposed to be the safe space”. I realize we could argue about America’s stance/status in the world today for quite some time, but that is how I feel. If we can’t be a good role model, how are we going to get anyone else to follow suit. But then it hit me. It starts with us.

It starts with us not getting into spats on social media with people who are never going to see our side. It starts with prayer and saying your blessings and being mindful of your blessings-even in times of turmoil. It starts with not only verbalizing your actions, but actually living them out. It starts with going to Shabbat Services and being a part of community that joins together. A community where it is okay to cry and be at a loss for words because we’re family and someone can pick up where you left off and fill the void. A community where we are all human and no one has to have the answers to everything. We have each other. They’ve tried to silence us before but they have never been successful. The Jewish people always persevere, even through the hardest times. Why? Because of community. Because Jews will band together to make the world a better place, even when it isn’t easy, fun, or even safe.

“Let there be Peace” is the song that rings in my head constantly now. Let us work together in harmony with G!d’s blessing to make this a reality.