כ"ד תשרי תשפ"א
We are parting today from:
ליבה שרה בת מאיר יוסף ז"ל וגאולה תיבדל לחיים ארוכים ושמחים.
The woman who, my dear children, gave you life and showed you how one goes about living it to the fullest.
The woman who made a man out of me--no easy feat.
The woman who kept me on a path. Not straight and narrow but with a goal: to raise our family inspired by our family traditions and our ancient traditions in מדינת ישראל. She took up the challenge that I had originally proposed but that I didn't have the faintest idea of what it would take to accomplish.
And she did it all, in this new and unfamiliar society and environment while I was busy trying to keep my head above water adjusting to work.
When I had just about had it with things, she looked at me and basically said: I didn't give up my family and career and the comforts of our life there so that you would turn tail and run when things got challenging.
She became the most committed of Zionists even when my resolve flagged.
She instilled this in you, our precious children, who were the main source of pride for us both. What a challenge she put before me when she, knowing that she would not be with us into our old age, told me that I would have work doubly hard to provide enough love to you and your wonderful children for the both of us.
I’ll begin my words with several verses from The Book of Job, where he states how miserable he has been made by the punishments and illnesses that he was subjected to.
דברי איוב (פרק ג')
מָּה יִתֵּ֣ן לְעָמֵ֣ל א֑וֹר וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ׃
Why does He give light to the sufferer And life to the bitter in spirit;
הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים לַמָּ֣וֶת וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים׃
To those who wait for death but it does not come, Who search for it more than for treasure,
הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־גִ֑יל יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ כִּ֣י יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר׃
Who rejoice to exultation, And are glad to reach the grave;
לְ֭גֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ׃
To the man who has lost his way, Whom God has hedged about?
כִּֽי־לִפְנֵ֣י לַ֭חְמִי אַנְחָתִ֣י תָבֹ֑א וַֽיִּתְּכ֥וּ כַ֝מַּ֗יִם שַׁאֲגֹתָֽי׃
My groaning serves as my bread; My roaring pours forth as water.
כִּ֤י פַ֣חַד פָּ֭חַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵ֑נִי וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָ֝גֹ֗רְתִּי יָ֣בֹא לִֽי׃
For what I feared has overtaken me; What I dreaded has come upon me.
לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז׃
I had no repose, no quiet, no rest, And trouble came.
איוב (פרק ו')
מִֽי־יִ֭תֵּן תָּב֣וֹא שֶֽׁאֱלָתִ֑י וְ֝תִקְוָתִ֗י יִתֵּ֥ן אֱלֽוֹהַּ׃
Would that my request were granted, That God gave me what I wished for;
וְיֹאֵ֣ל אֱ֭לוֹהַּ וִֽידַכְּאֵ֑נִי יַתֵּ֥ר יָ֝ד֗וֹ וִֽיבַצְּעֵֽנִי׃
Would that God consented to crush me, Loosed His hand and cut me off.
וּ֥תְהִי ע֨וֹד ׀ נֶ֘חָ֤מָתִ֗י וַאֲסַלְּדָ֣ה בְ֭חִילָה לֹ֣א יַחְמ֑וֹל כִּי־לֹ֥א כִ֝חַ֗דְתִּי אִמְרֵ֥י קָדֽוֹשׁ׃
Then this would be my consolation, As I writhed in unsparing pains: That I did not suppress my words against the Holy One.
מַה־כֹּחִ֥י כִֽי־אֲיַחֵ֑ל וּמַה־קִּ֝צִּ֗י כִּֽי־אַאֲרִ֥יךְ נַפְשִֽׁי׃
מַה־כֹּחִ֥י כִֽי־אֲיַחֵ֑ל וּמַה־קִּ֝צִּ֗י כִּֽי־אַאֲרִ֥יךְ נַפְשִֽׁי׃
What strength have I, that I should endure? How long have I to live, that I should be patient?
אִם־כֹּ֣חַ אֲבָנִ֣ים כֹּחִ֑י אִֽם־בְּשָׂרִ֥י נָחֽוּשׁ׃
Is my strength the strength of rock? Is my flesh bronze?
הַאִ֬ם אֵ֣ין עֶזְרָתִ֣י בִ֑י וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה נִדְּחָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
Truly, I cannot help myself; I have been deprived of resourcefulness.
Job’s friend tries unsuccessfully to assure him that ha-Shem, who has brought on him the suffering also can and will heal.
דברי אליפז (פרק ה'):
כִּ֤י ה֣וּא יַכְאִ֣יב וְיֶחְבָּ֑שׁ יִ֝מְחַ֗ץ וידו [וְיָדָ֥יו] תִּרְפֶּֽינָה׃
He injures, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands heal.
We stand here and request from ha-Shem that he help us and bring us relief, as the author of T’hilim (Psalms) writes:
קרוב ה' לנשברי לב, ואת דכאי רוח יושיע… (פ' ל"ד:י"ט)
And further...
שמחנו כמות שעניתנו שנות ראינו רעה. יראה אל עבדיך פעלך והדרך על בניהם (תהל' צ')
[We pray for You to] provide us with happiness [exceeding] the years we have seen [only] evil. May your servants be shown your [miraculous] works, and [let] your splendor be shown to your children.
We were not fortunate enough to live out the lines of Robert Browning’s poem, Rabbi ben Ezra, which you liked so much:
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith "A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!''
Then, welcome each rebuff
That turns earth's smoothness rough,
Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand but go!
Be our joys three-parts pain!
Strive, and hold cheap the strain;
Learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe!
For thence,—a paradox
Which comforts while it mocks,—
Shall life succeed in that it seems to fail:
What I aspired to be,
And was not, comforts me:
A brute I might have been, but would not sink i' the scale.
Leesa, my dearest, my love, the source of my joy of living,
Be at rest, in peace forever.
Go up to those who are responsible for minding what happens to us and tell them, “Enough”!
Enough of epidemics, enough of horrendous diseases, enough of needless hatred and divisions between us, enough of those who deny our rights to this, our land.
ליבה שרה, יקירתי, אהבתי, מקור שמחת החיים שלי, תנוחי בשלום מנוחת עולמים.
גשי לאלה האחראים על מה שקורה לנו ותאמרי להם, די!
די למגפות, די למחלות נוראיות, די לשנאת חינם ופירוד לבבות שבתוכנו, די לשונאינו המכחישים את זכותינו בארצנו.