By Rabbi Judy Weintraub
A story:
It’s Mother’s Day over a decade ago. A man by the name of Carlos is driving up the freeway to visit his mother in Barstow. He is blindsided by a large truck and his van is driven off the road. He is rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a severe spinal cord injury. Carlos will be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.
His employer visits him almost daily in the hospital and in rehab. He encourages Carlos not to give up and tells him he will always have a job in the company. Carlos’ work had always been physical in nature. His employer guarantees him that he will retrain him to work in the office with computers. Later, when transportation becomes an issue, his employer purchases a wheelchair-accessible van that Carlos can drive himself.
That employer was Bill, my brother-in-law, who passed just five months ago. He was my brother in the best possible way.
It is said in The Book of Daniel 12:3:
הַ֨מַּשְׂכִּלִ֔ים יַזְהִ֖רוּ כְּזֹ֣הַר הָרָקִ֑יעַ וּמַצְדִּיקֵי֙ הָֽרַבִּ֔ים כַּכּוֹכָבִ֖ים לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃
And the knowledgeable will be radiant like the bright expanse of sky, and those who lead the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.
The chachamim will shine with radiance in the firmament. The righteous ones, the Tzaddikim, will be like the stars in heaven forever and ever. Rabbi Steinsaltz adds that the Tzaddikim are not only wise, but extremely kind, both to individuals, and the populace in general.
Bill was my Tzaddik.
And I have a feeling that there is at least someone in your life who you see as your Tzaddik and shows you the way to live life, shining with radiance above you forever.
Bill’s love of Judaism and all its traditions deepened as the years and decades went by. He especially loved the Seder with all his family and good friends gathered around. He would pick up a piece of Shimura matzo, take a bite, pause, raise it up high in his hand and exclaim with absolute earnestness, “this is dee-licious!!”
It was also a time when Bill’s impish sense of humor was on full display. During Chad Gadyah, it was the tradition at my sister’s table, for volunteers to act out the different parts of the song. Bill loved to be the water and everyone knew it. Everyone would do his/her part quickly. When it came to Bill’s part, he would ever-so-slowly and solemnly raise a filled glass of water as high up as he possibly could and trickle the water into an empty glass. This he repeated in exactly the same way each time his part came.
One year, one of the kids mischievously usurped his role as Water. He chose, instead, the role of Malach haMavet, the Angel of Death. When it came time for his part he slowly sat up in his seat and deeply and ghoulishly intoned, “Good EVE-ning.”
In today’s Pesach reading, Devarim 15:16, it is stated:
שִׁבְעַ֣ת יָמִ֗ים תָּחֹג֙ לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בַּמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה כִּ֣י יְבָרֶכְךָ֞ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בְּכֹ֤ל תְּבוּאָֽתְךָ֙ וּבְכֹל֙ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֔יךָ וְהָיִ֖יתָ אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽחַ׃
You shall hold a festival for your God יהוה seven days, in the place that יהוה will choose; for your God יהוה will bless all your crops and all your undertakings, and you shall have nothing but joy.
It is the last day of the festival where the Israelites gave offerings of thanks, with gladness and full gratitude in their hearts. The very last phrase, אַ֥ךְ שָׂמֵֽחַ auf sameach, is translated with varying shades of meaning: (NJPS) Nothing but joy. Others understand it as “only joy.” Rashi understands auf joy to indicate God’s promise to the People. But I think that sometimes there is a contingency to a promise, where we must participate to make it a reality.
Chatam Sofer teaches that the word auf implies some hint of limitation. What is that limitation in this case?
Sforno takes a broader perspective and considers that some of the Israelites may be thinking about their return to work, grieving over all the worries and troubles that will be waiting for them. He understands that the last day of the festival is to be approached “only with joy.” And THAT is a mitzvah, a choice.
I will take this notion one step further. Here we are on the last day of the Chag, as we ready ourselves for Yizkor on this day of joy. And how are we to contain both of these feelings in our hearts at the same time? We can, and we do. So I ask that we all, on this day of joy, auf sameach, see in our minds and hearts those tzaddikim, those kochavim, those stars in our lives, and remember the joy they gave us, and the great blessing of their presence in our lives, and may that overide the sadness of their passing, as we srecite Yizkor.
Chag Pesach Sameach