Apologies this is arriving so late. We had some technical issues. Please be assured it was sent prior to Shabbat. -- King Solomon in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) teaches “For everything there is a season… A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance…” If we could choose, I’d imagine most of us would prefer if we could separate our weeping from our laughter, our mourning from our dancing. But we don’t usually get to schedule these moments. We don’t get to control these events. This Shabbat we celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of our dear son, Mendy. A day of immense joy! This Shabbat we will mark the first Yahrtzeit of my dear nephew, Shmuel. A painfully sad day. A deeply uncomfortable tension between joy and grief. How does one revel in moments of joy and celebration whilst riding a wave of sadness? Do we disengage from either emotion? Do we gloss over the sadness and get lost in the joyous experience or do we keep the happiness at a safe distance and sit in the sorrow? I don’t think it’s an either / or. It's a complicated and difficult both / and. We CAN hold both. This is life. We live in the balance between sorrow and joy. We are capable, as the Kabbalah puts it, of "weeping lodged in one side of the heart, and joy lodged in the other." So this Shabbat, we will celebrate our darling Mendy. We will laugh, sing and dance, we will laud the mentsch he has become, we will congratulate him on his achievements thus far, we will shower him with love and blessings and we will join with him in hopeful prayer for a healthy, happy and meaningful life ahead. And this Shabbat we will remember Shmuel and hold him close, we will think of his parents and siblings and hold them close. We will remember the incredible mark he left on this world in his short 15 years. We will honour his memory by talking about his kindness and his positivity, his love for family and his loyalty to his friends, his mentchlichkeit and his fun personality, his joy of life and his sincere dedication to Yiddishkeit – in an effort to emulate him, so that his Soul continues to shine through us. This Shabbat we will recognise that we are not alone in the world and that we can find comfort and strength in our trust and faith in Gd and in the embrace of our family and friends wherever they may be. This Shabbat we will thank Gd for the many blessings in our lives. And this Shabbat will be a reminder for us all, that even in our times of greatest joy, some of us will still struggle with sorrow. And that’s ok. We shouldn’t feel guilty. We must be compassionate to ourselves and to others in this regard. We CAN hold both. This is life. We live in the balance between sorrow and joy. With joy and with tears, with tears and with joy, Shabbat Shalom, Shmuel & Rivki -- Please note: No Friday night Zoom this week. We'll meet for Havdalah after Shabbat, 6pm, on www.facebook.org/elwoodshule. |