Page 35 - HaMizrachi Australia Rosh HaShana Yom Kippur 5781

YAMIM NORA’IM READING

Rabbi Benji Levy

Who Am I?

oint to yourself. Where did you Unable to do anything about her son’s who they are. When that is lost, they
point? Are you a specific body return, Sisera’s mother lets out a gut- often experience an existential crisis –
Ppart? Who are you? This is one tural cry because that’s all she can who are they now? I remember a close
of the most simple yet sophisticated do. That is the broken sound of the friend who was a phenomenal soccer
questions anyone can ask of them- shofar, a plea from a place of despera- player before he damaged his leg and
selves and the New Year is a great tion to pierce the heavens in search of couldn’t play again. He was faced with
time to start. a positive outcome. the big question – now what? Others
whose identities are based around
The central command of Rosh Perhaps there is more in this story another person are faced with the
Hashanah and the Biblical name that that gets to the very heart of what the same question when that relationship
represents its essence is ה ָ עּור ְּ ת םֹוי – a shofar represents. We are never told is severed.
day of terua sounding (Bamidbar the name of Sisera’s mother. We are We often classify ourselves by our job
29:1; Vayikra 23:24). In defining the never told what she did or what kind or title or relationship to a relative.
term terua, which comes from the of person she was. Rather, she is only However, if our internal identity is
shofar, the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah mentioned by association, suggesting built upon something external, we are
perhaps that she has no real indepen-
33b) translates it to be a yevava, dent identity other than her relation- profoundly affected when the exter-
sobbing or moaning. This is derived ship to her son. Therefore, when she nality changes. This unique period of
from a story in Shoftim (5:28), in loses her son, she loses the only sense political uncertainty, Covid-19 and
which a pagan army general named of identity she ever knew and cries other global instabilities has caused
Sisera went to war with the Israelites out in anguish. many to question basic assumptions,
and was defeated and killed. Sisera’s which will undoubtedly force a differ-
mother looked out of the window, She metaphorically looks out of the ent Rosh Hashanah.
awaiting her son’s return, and cried window and does not see her son on
(vateyabev). Tosafot (Rosh Hashanah the other side. She sees a translucent The cry of the shofar, like that of
Sisera’s mother, beckons us to ask who
33b) cites the custom of sounding reflection of herself. A self she did not we truly are – what makes us who we
a total of 100 shofar blasts on Rosh fully recognize beyond the context of are and how are we going to focus in
Hashanah to parallel the 100 cries she her son. If one were to try to touch the New Year on that which contrib-
let out as she waited in vain for her one’s reflection in water, it would dis- utes to the person we truly want to
son. solve and if one were to reach out to be. More than the ephemeral reflec-
a reflection in the window, it always
The reason she is sobbing seems obvi- remains beyond reach. A reflection tion Sisera’s mother saw, let us build
an identity that is palpable, substan-
ous – imagine waiting for a loved one is simply an empty, intangible image. tive and of immense value. So we can
and not knowing whether they will This is symbolic of Sisera’s mother’s appreciate who we are and know who
ever return. I remember when my perception of herself without her son. we want to become.
brother called us from the army to She was only ever defined by some-
let us know he was going to be with- one else and the thought of losing that Shana Tova!
out a phone for a few days, as the IDF was terrifying.
was about to enter Gaza in Operation Most people are defined by something
Protective Edge. I remember search- other than their essence. Someone
ing for a lost child in our community who is good at sport, music or art can
along with thousands of others. It’s a become defined by that talent rather
terrible feeling. than let it be but one expression of Rabbi Benji Levy is CEO of Mosaic United.

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