B'nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica |
by Rabbi Daniela Szuster
- translated by Fred Goldner -
During the Yamim Noraim we take stock of the year that has just passed. We revisit our roots, we take the courage to face the adversities of life, upright like the trunk of a tree, we raise our arms and our faces to the sky, as if they were branches in the wind, and we look forward to a better year, one in which we can harvest the fruits of our labors.
During the High Holidays, we are like trees.
During these Yamim Noraim we would like to learn from the Tamar of the judge Deborah, from the Eshel of Abraham Avinu, from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from the tree of Gopher wood with which Noah built his ark, from the Kikaion of Jonah, from the bush of Moses which burned and did not turn to ashes, and from the Tree of Life.
These moments leading up to the Yizkor service, I would like to dedicate to a discussion regarding the tree of life.
In the mystical paradise of the Garden of Eden grew not only the tree of knowledge, which we spoke of on the second night of Rosh Hashanah, but also the tree of life.
The Zohar tells us that under the tree of life sprung the primal waters that later flowed to the rest of the world. We could say that the tree of life was an intertwining and meeting place that has centralized all of the human experience from the early days during the time of paradise, our present day lives and those lives of the future. In some way or another, all of us are intertwined with this magnificent tree.
It is a tree of life regardless of the fact that those who make up its foundation might not have physical life as we know it, but rather their lives reside in our memory.
In a couple of moments, we will begin the Yizkor service, the memorial service. Our Jewish tradition implores us to remember, and it proposes that we sanctify this precious time to the memory of our loved ones that are not physically here with us.
We are to remember their lives, the lessons that they gave us, the messages they taught us. We are to remember their dreams and illusions, their sadness and their emotions. We are to remember their battles and their accomplishments, their hopes and their actions.
But why are we to remember? Why should we relive this anguish and pain? Why should we mourn our loss?
I believe that the spirit of our tradition impels us to take action fueled by our memories. This memory drives us to hold fast to life and to preserve the chain of continuity that has persisted through the millennia, the Jewish people.
The Talmud tells us that there are two phenomena beyond our control which provoke our tears. One is the smell that is discharged by certain edibles, such as the onion. The other is the smoke produced by fire. As a result of both, the smoke and the onion, tears stream down our cheeks involuntarily.
The same idea can be inverted: when we shed tears in remembrance of our loved ones, our own tears can serve to fertilize the fruits of our lives or simply vanish into thin air as does smoke as it rises and dissipates into the air.
Just thinking about and remembering our loved ones we might be overcome with a feeling of pain at this moment, and if upon returning to our daily lives we do not undertake any action in honor of their memory, then it is a memory that fades like smoke.
However, if upon remembering our loved ones, we try to abide by their advice and we try to improve upon their accomplishments; then through our actions we have made a constructive and fertile contribution to theirs and our lives, planting our fruits for continuity.
Our tradition proposes various means to convert our memories into a fruitful harvest for our lives and avoid the potential that they may transform into smoke. For example, contributing to Tzedakah in their names, dedicating time to study in their names, and becoming participants in the tree of life that binds us together.
I invite you during this time of remembrance to remember and think of how we can keep alive the memory of our loved ones.
We need to reflect on what we need to do to continue the legacy that they left us, to abide by the messages of life that they imbued in us, and to pursue the dreams that they could not complete during their own lives.
It is the hope that the memory of our loved ones lead us to good deeds, to a full life, a life of meaning and that we strive toward the continuity of our people.
Whether or not these memories fade like smoke or grow like a bountiful harvest depends on each one of us.
It is our hope that the ties that make up the tree of life be strong, solid, and long lasting.
In this spirit, we begin the Yizkor service.
Address:
700 meters West of Pops in the Sabana, on the old road to Escazu, corner building at your left.
Tel. 231-5243 /
Fax: 231-5787
/ E-mail:
congbnei@racsa.co.cr
Inés Gutiérrez
baumgut@racsa.co.cr
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