Page 22 - HaMizrachi # 21 Tisha B'Av 2020 USA

WOMEN’S VOICES

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

Don’t Forget that You Forgot!

en-Zion, my beloved son, got One of the signs of the coming of You’re finding it hard to make ends
married just before the Three Mashiach is ת ֶ ר ּ ֶ ד ְ ע ֶנ ת ֶ מ ֱ א ָ ה י ִ ה ְּ ת ַ ו – “And meet? At least you have your health.
BWeeks. Before the wedding, Truth will be lacking,” i.e. not pres-
I went to my mother, and placed ent. Chazal say this means תי ֵ ׂש ֲ ע ַּנ ֶ ׁש Not now though. Not at this time of
an invitation on the bed my father םי ִ ר ָ ד ֲ ע םי ִ ר ָ ד ֲ ע – “that it has become the year. Now we say: א ָ ר ֹונ! It is ter-
used to sleep on – and I couldn’t flocks upon flocks” (Sanhedrin rible! And G-d is Awesome!
help it... but then I burst into tears 97a). The difference is huge: some- And that is why our Sages did
and became so angry with myself. thing that is no longer here will be indeed reinstate the epithet א ָ ר ֹונ
Isn’t Mother’s grief enough – must forgotten, but if we understand into our prayers. Precisely in the
I add to it? Yet to my surprise, after that it (Truth) is actually still here, place where His crown fell, so to
many months, I suddenly saw my just broken into pieces, and we will speak, G-d asks that we restore it,
noble mother so calm and relaxed. gather together (flocks upon flocks) that we remember our Father as
And she said to me, “At last, I see in peace, we will discover it. He was in the Palace. We shouldn’t
I’m not the only one missing him.”
In other words, if you don’t know walk past His desolate House and
A dear student of mine has a father how to yearn for the Mikdash, if say א ָ ר ֹונ אלֹ, it’s not so bad.
with Alzheimer’s, whom she cares you’ve forgotten what we’re yearn-
for with endless devotion. I con- ing for… yearn for each other. We should remember that we have
stantly remind her of a different That will be sufficient, for when forgotten.
type of forgetfulness she may be the flocks gather, ןא ּ ֹצ ַ ה ם ִ ע ה ָ א ָּ ב ל ֵ ח ָ ר Ben-Zion’s chupa was a different
stricken by: “Don’t forget your – “Rachel comes with the sheep.” type of chupa, a Corona chupa.
Dad as he was! Don’t drown in the Rachel Imeinu doesn’t need us to Without the elderly, without grand-
depressing chores and forget about remember her; all she wants is that parents. And just like the inaugura-
the glorious father you once had!” I her children return to their borders. tion of the Second Beit HaMikdash,
know that it is only because of the when the young men rejoiced, the
memory of “that” father, she is able When the Beit HaMikdash was old men, remembering the real joy,
to continue the arduous treatment destroyed, our enemies placed an stood and wept.
of “this” father. Memory is not a idol in the Sanctuary. “Yirmiyahu
commemoration of what was but stood and did not say א ָ ר ֹונ (liter- But with a magnificent view of the
the eternity that awaits us if only we ally G-d is awesome, but א ָ ר ֹונ can Temple Mount, as everyone sang
ְ
do not forget. also mean terrible).” In a situation םִי ַ ל ׁ ָ שּורְי ך ֵ ח ָּ כ ׁ ְ ש ֶ א ם ִ א – “If I forget you,
in which G-d’s awesomeness was O Jerusalem...” I gazed into the dis-
As I passed the Prime Minister’s now absent, Yirmiyahu was not able tance and saw Mother, smiling and
House, I saw the tortured expres- to say the word א ָ ר ֹונ at the start of tearful. She was singing with us י ִ או ּ ב
sion on the face of Leah Goldin, the Amidah prayer – ר ּ ֹבִּ ג ַ ה לֹדָּ ג ַ ה ל ֵ א ָ ה ּ ה ָ ל ְ ע ַּ ב ת ֶ ר ֶ ט ֲ ע םול ׁ ָ ש ְ ב – “crown of her
Hadar Goldin’s mother, 1 sitting א ָ ר ֹוּנ ַ ה ְ ו. husband, enter in peace.” The crown
under her son’s picture. Hundreds had been returned to her head.
of cars passed her, some honking at When you omit the word ‘terri-
her in solidarity. ble’ you are essentially saying אלֹ She remembered that we
א ָ ר ֹונ – it’s not so terrible. There’s no remembered.
By her silent demonstration, it was Temple anymore? א ָ ר ֹונ אלֹ. My rela-
as if she was saying, even if you tionship with my children is cold
don’t remember how ר ָ ד ֱ ה ֶנ (wonder- and distant? א ָ ר ֹונ אלֹ. Hundreds of 1 Hadar was an Israeli soldier killed and
ful) he was, remember at least that thousands are sick with Corona? It captured by Hamas during Operation
he is ר ַ ּ ד ְ ע ֶנ (missing). Please, at least happens. א ָ ר ֹונ אלֹ. Protective Edge in 2014. His body has not
don’t forget that you’ve forgotten. been returned to Israel.
On your way to work/home/shops, Yes, all year round I preach com-
drive past me and remember: we’ve fort: your relationship is difficult? Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi is a popular
forgotten. Take comfort in your children. Israeli teacher, speaker and writer

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