Page 21 - HaMizrachi Australia Rosh HaShana Yom Kippur 5781

YAMIM NORA’IM READING

Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi

Achot Ketana
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This year, the sisters were our shofar,
our Unetaneh Tokef. They were the
answer to so many of the sick – the
prayer, the charity, they were the
“who” who nursed the “who by
pandemic.”
In their stifling white suits, they
were our replacement, they were
our atonement, they were our sub-
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stitutes. What for us were statistics
were real people for them. When the
conflagration was burning outside,
any media channels asked live, who will die after a long life and they roamed the wards, like angels of
me to offer my perspective who prematurely. She will become peace.
Mon this past year: social the achot ketana, the little sister, of
rifts, demonstrations, economic the one who comes after her. She is It seems to me, that as the shifts
uncertainty, education crisis... in exactly a year older than her replace- change between the past year and
short, what is going to be? ment, who does not yet know what the new one, we should pray for our
awaits her. angelic and weary sisters. And pray
After some thought, I chose to talk for the world that the curses cease,
about those who did not have time The paytan movingly chooses to and that finally, we may all have an
to go out to demonstrate, or see the pray for the one who has finished her easy shift.
social rift, or estimate the economic watch, more than for the one who is ָ הי ֶ תֹו ּ ל ִ פ ְּ ת הָּנ ַ ט ְ ק תֹוח ָ א
uncertainty. Those who united all of taking over now, fresh and alert. He : ָ הי ֶ ל ָּ פ ֻ ט ְ מ תֹו ּ ט ִ מ ל ַ ע ת ֶ ׁש ֶ חֹול
us this year – the sisters. salutes the little sister, the past year, ָ הי ֶ תֹול ֲ ח ַ מ ְ ל אָנ א ָ פ ְ ר אָנ ל־ ֵ א"
for faithfully helping us breathe, for ”. ָ הי ֶ תֹול ְ ל ִ ק ְ ו הָנ ָ ׁש ה ֶ ל ְ כ ִּ ת
With incredible sensitivity, the giving us life, for connecting sunset
13th-century poet, Rabbi Abraham to sunrise to sunset to sunrise, for Little sister, her prayers
Chazzan Gerondi, chooses to open having nurtured us so much. Thanks Whispering on her patients’ beds:
the Sephardi Rosh Hashanah prayers to her, we have grown another year. “Please G-d, please cure her diseases
with the spine-tingling piyut, Achot End the year and its curses.” 4
Ketana – “Little Sister.” They took off their weekday clothes,
washed, disinfected themselves and
With infinite gentleness, he relates donned white clothes. They entered
to this fragile hour, the interface the sanctuary when no relative was 1 The word achot (תֹוח ָ א) in Hebrew means
both sister and nurse.
between the past year and the new near a patient breathing his last 2 Paraphrased from the Seder Avodah on Yom
one, the time of the changing of the breath, and thus they would count his Kippur.
guard. final breaths: one, one and one, one 3 A reference to the Kapparot ceremony.
and two… they did not experience 4 Paraphrased from the original piyut.
He captures the moment when, with Seder Night or Tikkun Leil Shavuot.
tired hands, she hands over the keys They received endless complaints,
to her replacement. Seconds before cried about being suspected of mis-
her watch comes to an end, she briefs demeanors, and yet continued, with Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi is a popular
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her: who needs special care, who will selfless devotion, their Seder Avodah. Israeli teacher, speaker and writer.

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