From Rabbi Mordecai Miller
May 28, 2010 |
15 Sivan 5770 |
You may be familiar with the Hebrew/Yiddish word for "funeral." It's levaya - לויה. It means "to accompany," and refers to the practice of family and friends "accompanying" the deceased to the point of burial: their physical departure from this world. It's an interesting concept; one which is directly related to the basic value of k'vod ha-met כבוד המת (respect for the dead). This principle governs many of the practices surrounding a Jewish funeral.
We all know the degree to which loneliness is one of the saddest experiences a person can endure. The fact that no other person desires to spend time with you; that no-one finds it worth the "trouble" of getting to know you, or showing any concern about you conveys the strong feeling that your life has little to no significance whatsoever. This is especially significant if you're already experiencing difficulties such as illness or financial reversal or family problems. Times such as these can fill a person with a sense of failure which simply becomes amplified when no-one really cares less. Just having someone to keep you company can make all the difference: it isn't always a question of "doing something" but "just being there!" Keeping someone company, if they could use it to any degree, is about as fundamental a way of "giving of yourself" as possible. Everyone's time is precious, so "giving up" your time is a precious gift. You can see that letting someone know that you're happy to share time with them has to provide a genuine boost to their morale. Not only does it give them the moral strength to face their challenges, quite possibly it can help them overcome them!
At a funeral the practice of accompanying the deceased is seen as chesed shel emet חסד של אמת - a genuine act of loving-kindness. The reason is that the deceased can never repay your act of thoughtfulness. Clearly then, attending a funeral and joining the mourners in procession gives us the opportunity for us to express our sympathy that goes well beyond words.
Interestingly enough the Hebrew/Yiddish word for "funeral" comes from the same root with which we derive the word "levi" (לוי). The Levites would accompany the priests (the Cohanim) in serving them as they performed their priestly duties. The name is first used by Jacob's wife, Leah, at the birth of her third son. She gives him this name in the hope that her husband "will keep her company" because he sees how she has provided him to this point with three sons. Another significant reason for the tribe's name is the fact that to a man, they refused to worship the molten calf when the rest of the Israelites showed a complete lack of restraint.
Our par'sha speaks about the formal installation of the Levites into their tasks concerning the Tent of Meeting. They are charged to keep the Priests - and God - "company" by always being present and ready to perform their tasks.
Levites are "accomplished accompanists!"
Mazel tov to Diane Marie Berg who is celebrating her Bat Mitzvah as an adult this coming Shabbat morning. Over a number of years now, Diane has become involved in the congregation's life. She attends minyan regularly morning and evening; has attended classes and Synagogue Board Meetings; (She was just recently elected as in-coming Board member.) and most importantly along with Stuart Shilcrat and Frances Robbins has made major strides in making our synagogue library usable. Diane is a full-time student at the University of Missouri, St. Louis. it's been a joy to see how our members have welcomed her into our synagogue family.
Mazel tov to all our graduates and their families. While I will mention only one or two personally, I will be delighted to publish anyone's "braggin' rights." Simply e-mail the details to me and I will do my best to share this the other members of our congregation
Congratulations to our graduating eighth grade students from Solomon Shechter Day School: Paul and Jordan Kodner; David Selis and Ari Ginsparg. Congratulations to you and your families for attaining this wonderful milestone. May your children continue to grow and delight you.
A word about Joel Portman. He will be graduating in June from the University of Denver with a major in International Studies with a concentration in International Security and Conflict Resolution. His minors are in Business Administration and Sociology. He will be graduating with university honors and departmental distinction in his major.
He was elected as senior of the year and one of ten overall 4 year students of the year. He has been accepted into the masters program at the University of Denver and will be returning to complete his Masters in Business Administration in the fall.
This summer, he will be doing an internship at the world headquarters in St. Louis for Build-a-Bear Workshop. He will be working on marketing, research, and product development.
As for up-and-coming programs: a group of us (Howard Granok, Jay O'Brien, Fred Blumenthal and myself) will be adding an additional musical component to the Shabbat Torah Service. We plan to "debut" on Saturday morning, June 5 th during services. I hope we will be able to share this with all of you and add an additional dimension to the services.
Best wishes for a restful Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom,