Streams of Mercy

Our love and prayers surround the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh following Saturday’s shooting that killed 11 faithful members and wounded many others. The shooting took place in a neighborhood made famous by a man who stressed friendship and acceptance across racial and religious differences. Presbyterian minister Fred Rogers, who personified kindness and tolerance, welcomed all of us all into “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and invited us all to be neighbors. A spokesperson for the Fred Rogers Center said, “We long for a day when there is no more tragedy born from hatred.”

The governor of Massachusetts quoted from the Talmud, telling those gathered “that good always triumphs over evil.” When events like these happen, every time innocents lose their lives in senseless violence, we are reminded that “there is work to do, and that none of us should ever abandon our commitment to build a better, stronger and a more inclusive world.”

I’ve thought a lot about the Jewish practice of “sitting shiva.” This tradition teaches how to properly mourn the passing of loved ones, and sets the practices and rituals that facilitate and give expression to feelings of loss and grief. Mourning is a show of respect to the departed and to his or her place in one’s life. Properly mourning loved ones helps those who grieve return to active, even joyous life, in which their feelings of love and respect are shown in deeds that honor those loved ones and their continuing influence on their lives.

Let us “sit shiva” with our Jewish brothers and sisters in our hearts.

I once read that the Jewish people formulate blessings for every circumstance in their lives. If the news is good, their prayer is “Blessed be the God who is good and who does wondrous things.” If the news is bad, their prayer is “Blessed be the God who is with us in our troubles.” As far as they are concerned, they have a duty to pronounce a blessing on the bad in life as well as the good, because all of life comes from God.

Let us pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters, giving thanks that God is with them in their troubles.

Rabbi Allen S. Maller offers this beautiful prayer for times of grief and loss:

“When All That’s Left is Love”

When I die

If you need to weep,

Cry for someone

Walking the street beside you.

You can love me most by letting

Hands touch hands, and

Souls touch souls.

You can love me most by sharing your Simchas (goodness)

and Multiplying your Mitzvot (acts of kindness).

You can love me most by letting me live in your eyes

And not on your mind.

And when you say Kaddish (thanksgiving for life) for me

Remember what our Torah teaches,

Love doesn’t die

People do.

So when all that’s left of me is love

Give me away.

Let us share our Simchas and multiply our Mitzvot and say Kaddish for our Jewish brothers and sisters.

“Shalom, Chaverim! Shalom, Chavero! Shalom, shalom! Lehitraot, lehitraot, Shalom, shalom.”

Elizabeth