My grandfather spoke during the prayer service at my bar mitzvah when I turned thirteen. He waxed poetic about the importance of leading a good Jewish life, learning Torah, continuing to maintain the rituals with which I’d been brought up and, most of all, about success. He had literally spent his life devoted to Judaism, studying to become a rabbi for his Jewish community in India and then moving with his family to Philadelphia to assume the pulpit at Mikveh Israel, the second-oldest synagogue in the United States. Continue reading “Pride in our Success”
Tag: funeral
Joy Breaking Through Grief
These seats are not nearly as comfortable as they look, I thought.
I fidgeted in my seat on the train, trying to find a better position. The dull ache in my left thigh that had bothering me for the last week or two returned, though I did my best to ignore it. I positioned my work bag on my lap, placed my coffee cup under the armrest next to me and took out my train ticket. I managed to slide out of my coat, doing my best not to disturb the heavyset man who had sat down next to me.
I had just settled in when I heard the conductor’s voice come over the train’s public address system. Continue reading “Joy Breaking Through Grief”
Awesome Clouds
My eyes scanned the ground as I walked, mapping out each step so that I could avoid the muddy patches near the walkway and the awkward separations between the sections of concrete. It was somewhat slow going; I kept having to pause so that I could pick the blanket up and re-wrap it around S’s body that was huddled against me. I gave her a little smile but she didn’t respond. Her eyes held my gaze for a moment before turning back to the nearby trees swaying with the breeze.
“I know, Shin, I’m sorry,” I said quietly as I tugged the blanket up again and tucked in the corners.1 “I don’t really want to be here either.” Continue reading “Awesome Clouds”
