18th September, 2026
7th of Tishrei 5787
ז׳ בְּתִשְׁרֵי תשפ״ז
The Jewish year in Hebrew is תשפ״ז (in Hebrew letters are also numbers so it is 5787) and if
we use the initials can mean Golden Year. Let’s pray that comes to fruition.
Shabbat Shalom, Shana Tova (a good New Year) Hatima Tova (May
you be enscribed in the Good Book) and finally and most important of all I wish
you a better year, a kinder year, one in which we spend more time listening
than posturing. As my Mother taught us “God gave you two ears and one mouth, remember
to use them in that proportion”
We are getting closer to Yom haKippurim, aka Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement, the day in which we are supposed to recognise all our
sins, and the sins of those around us near and far, and promise to change, to
repent, to make amends, to expiate, because human conflict should not be perpetual.
It is so much more than a confession, it is a promise to change. I was thinking
about the mutually destructive internecine battle of words and political
rhetoric that is destroying our peaceful existence and my thoughts went back
thousands of years to the words of the only written source of the time of the
Romans and the destruction of the Second Temple through “Sinat Hinam”,
unwarranted hatred.
Flavius Josephus was born Yosef ben
Mattityahu in 36 BCE. Josephus was a
Roman/Jewish historian and military leader. He was born in Jerusalem, which was
then then part of the Roman province of Judea, to a father of priestly descent
(Cohen) and a mother who claimed Hasmonean royal ancestry. Josephus holds the
first and the only place among the native authors of Judaea. He recorded “The Jewish War”
“A three-cornered faction fight in Jerusalem as one party split
into two. We should not be far wrong if we described this like a maddened beast
driven by lack of other food to devour its own flesh. It was as if to oblige
the Romans they were destroying all that the city had laid up against a siege.
They flung themselves at each other’s throats, and almost all the grain- enough
to support them through many years of siege – went up in flames. Unhappy city!
What have you suffered from the Romans compared with this?” It
sounds so familiar, scarily so.
Just 135 years after Josephus death came the ill fated Bar Kochba
revolution, the Romans won crushing victory. As a result they changed the name
of Judea to Syria Palaestina, which became Palestine, and so the mistaken
identity of this tiny sliver of land began.
NAZA the new Gaza film by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham
and Rachel Szor, won the Special Jury Prize at Venice and received a standing
ovation of at least 25 minutes. I am furious. If you want applause,
prizes, Oscars or Golden Globes, particularly in Europe, making a film
portraying Israel as uniquely monstrous is a very good place to start. NAZA presents
many disturbing testimonies from Israeli military “insiders”, however, this is
a documentary of accusations without any evidence, verification, confirmation, validation,
corroboration, substantiation, nothing, nada, to back up their claims. Ironically
the film brought a horrified reaction from Israelis but is ignored by the rest
of the world. The former hostages want
to investigate the supposed movie-makers.
On an utterly different note, last night Zvi and I finally used
a very special birthday present a dinner at the Rooftop restaurant overlooking
the Old City. It was elegant and rather special, not only because of the
delicious food, but because of the wonderful professionalism of the staff and,
of course, that phenomenal view. Our waitress was very special and I promised
to write about her. Shirel, meaning song of God, is a student of Mechanical
Engineering here in Jerusalem and as is the tradition of Israeli students, she
is working in a restaurant, but what a restaurant! The dinner was a gift from
Zvi’s musical friends for his 80th birthday. It only took us 18 months
to actually get around to using it!
We parked under Mamilla Shopping Mall
and, as we emerged from the lift, we seemed to enter a completely different
world. Suddenly we were surrounded by thousands of predominantly young people,
observant and secular, all making their way towards the Kotel for Selichot
— the special prayers asking for forgiveness before Yom Kippur. The singing and
dancing had already begun, and the atmosphere was absolutely infectious. Selichot
can be said in a synagogue or even at home, and different Jewish traditions
observe them for different lengths of time — Eastern communities often begin
much earlier, while Ashkenazi communities traditionally begin shortly before
Rosh Hashanah.
Trying not to be trampled by the enthusiasm of the younger
generation as they surged towards the Old City, we stood there smiling and
taking it all in. From an elegant rooftop dinner to a sea of singing, dancing
young people heading to the Kotel, it was quite a Jerusalem evening — and a
very special one.
These last few days are particularly meaningful in the
Jewish calendar. We are in the Days of Repentance, the days between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and tonight we light the Shabbat candles to bring
light to a very important day, Shabbat Shuva — the Sabbath of Return. In
the middle of all the prayers and traditions, we are simply being given a
moment to stop, look back at the year that has passed and think about where we
might have gone wrong, and where we might do better. Shuva means
“return”: a return to ourselves, to the people we love, to what really matters,
and perhaps to the values we sometimes lose sight of in the hectic schedules of
everyday life. It is not about being perfect; none of us is. It is about
recognising our mistakes, asking forgiveness where we need to, forgiving others
where we can, and trying to begin the new year with a slightly kinder and
better version of ourselves.
As Yom Kippur approaches, just two days away, I’ve been
looking back over the past year, at what I’ve written, said and done, and
perhaps most importantly, at what I should have said or done and didn’t. The
prayers of Yom Kippur ask us to atone for the past, but also to prepare
ourselves for the future. Although Yom Kippur is uniquely Jewish, the ideas of
repentance, forgiveness and making a fresh start are ones that Christians, and
people of many other faiths, can share.
So, if I have hurt or offended you, disappointed you or
simply let you down in some way, I am truly sorry. None of us gets everything
right, and I certainly don’t. Our friendships mean far too much to me not to
say mechilah, please forgive me.
As we enter this most solemn of days, I wish you and your families
a meaningful Yom Kippur, good health, love, kindness and peace — and the
strength to begin again wherever it is needed.
Some of the most beautiful music is sung on the
eve of Yom Kippur. Here Lt Colonel Shai Abrahamson the IDF Chief Cantor, sings
Kol Nidre, the prayer that signifies the commencement of the Yom Kippur prayers.
https://youtu.be/Qj5rouyKZ9Y?si=4_ghHx4DhfrT0Wgt
Avinu Malkeinu, My Father my King, Cantor Azi Schwartz sings
the prayer that is central to the service. The haunting music and words beseeching
forgiveness are profound. “Hear our voice Oh Lord, with pity, and compassion
and accept our prayer”
https://youtu.be/0a3mSHSjW30?si=AszEC15KhZ0qTBJT
Yaakov Shwekey sings a blessing for the young soldiers of the
IDF. This was a concert in 2013, little did we know what our soldiers, young
and old, would suffer during and after the massacre of 2023. The Shabbat of
darkness and cruelty, the 7th of October, 2023. We must all beg for their
forgiveness, especially our leaders but also the leaders of the IDF, Shabak and
Mossad, for not recognising our enemy. They were warned. The words of this song
ring true"He who blessed our ancestors, our holy ancestors, may He
bless the soldiers of Israel, the soldiers of Israel."
https://youtu.be/suKZK8O_x2s?si=vb9RgCppj1xV9N1_
Just as I finished writing it happened, the skies opened and the brilliant,
cleansing rain fell. Perhaps it will wash away our sins, give us a clean start….
and thoughts of a new beginning as our elections near.
I wish you a beautiful weekend in which you love and are loved. Shabbat
Shalom from Jerusalem and the wet and glistening View from Our Veranda
Sheila
No comments:
Post a Comment