It Is a Fearful Thing to Love What Death Can Touch
'TIS A FEARFUL Thing
My sister, Laura, wrote to tell me she and her husband, Anton, had just watched the last episode of the Netflix TV series, Godless. In the final scene an unknown pastor shows upwards at the tail end of a funeral and reads a poem. He brings everyone to tears. Here is a clip of that scene.
Godless-Terminal Episode
Godless Final Episode
Laura was so moved past the poem, she looked it up on line and sent it to me.
'TIS A FEARFUL Thing
By Rabbi Chaim Stern
'Tis a fearful thing
to love what expiry can touch.
A fearful thing
to love, to hope, to dream, to be –
to exist,
And oh, to lose.
A thing for fools, this,
And a holy thing,
a holy affair
to love.
For your life has lived in me,
your laugh once lifted me,
your word was souvenir to me.
To remember this brings painful joy.
'Tis a human being thing, love,
a holy thing, to love
what decease has touched.
Although the show and many others mistakenly attribute the poem to Yehuda Halevi (d.1141), it was in fact written in the twentyth century by Rabbi Chaim Stern (1930-2001) of Brooklyn, New York.
Rabbi Chaim Stern
" A thing for fools, this ." Life.
One could easily conclude life is just 1 elaborate setup for suffering. From the moment we are built-in, and bond with our parents, grandparents, our siblings; build shut friendships; fall in love; marry; accept children of our own—we are destined to suffer the pain of losing someone we love—over and over once more.
And yet, we choose life. Our daughter suffered mightily the loss of her 24-year former brother and witnessed the devastating body blows thrown at her parents. Two years after she and her hubby brought new life into this earth, followed by another ii years after that.
Why do conscious, highly intelligent beings similar us embark on this fool's errand? Is it not insanity to do the aforementioned thing over and over again and expect a different upshot?
'This time, nosotros'll bring a new life into this world that death will not touch.'
So, what is it that makes united states cull life?
Rabbi Stern teaches u.s. it'south dear. ' a holy matter to dearest.'
Love, life, death and love. The circle of our essence—our being—does non modify.
Rabbi Stern's closing lines are profound truth and resonate deeply:
It is a human thing, honey
a holy thing, to love what death has touched.
Dear survives death. Death does not touch dearest—erase love. Decease takes the body—the shell. Love is eternal.
We know this at our deepest core. Information technology is hard-wired into our souls.
Merely, what does that hateful? Eternal love. Rabbi Rick Rheins of Denver, a pupil and protégé of the poet, provided some wonderful insight into Rabbi Stern's poem and the Jewish practices and rituals performed by those who take suffered the loss of someone they deeply honey.
[These] are not magical incantations. Rather, they are links that connect us to spiritual dimensions that we can sense but non define. We can sense, we can about feel the presence of our loved ones, bound gently with us. For some, acknowledging that on-going connection may be, at beginning or even for a while, upsetting, even painful. They avoid the rituals. They miss the Yahrzeits and the Yizkors. Kaddish is not said. The candles are not lit. The gravesites are not visited. Every bit if hiding from the painful memory of loss will protect them.
Permit us embrace that love which is non severed by death. Painful, fearful, a affair for fools? Perhaps. Perchance for some, at first. But it is also a holy thing. And the rituals…all assist us to call back and honor that legacy. Those rituals help the states maintain and fifty-fifty strengthen the connections that demark us to those who take passed and those withal to exist. These prayers connect heaven to our world. These prayers strengthen the spiritual essence of those who have passed. These prayers and these rituals thereby contribute to the gift of heavenly peace. [From Ad Meah v'Essrim; To 120. And And then What? Rabbi Rich Rheins, Yom Kippur Yizkor 5778]
"links that connect u.s.a. to spiritual dimensions that we can sense simply not define…and bind us to those who have passed and those withal to be"
We choose life—we choose to bring new life into this world—we choose to commit ourselves to and securely love someone—because of a deep knowing, a trust, that nosotros will always remain connected. Love is the unbreakable tether, the anchor, for our souls between the "here" and "there."
Nosotros never actually lose the ones we love. Nosotros can always find them, and they notice us . [Suffering Is the But Honest Piece of work]
It is this knowing that emboldens usa to overcome whatever fear of life'southward finite certainty.
To dearest securely is holy. Holy. Love keeps u.s. connected to God, Yahweh, the Creator of all Beings, and all of his creations—all of those we have loved and those notwithstanding to exist. That's heavy stuff. To recollect—to know—nosotros are continued to and love those who take not nonetheless been born. Demand to muse about that some more!
Perchance that'southward why we're here on this planet whose very existence seemingly defies all odds. Could it be our purpose—our divine work—is to beloved, no matter how painful the loss of a loved one will be, and transport that love out into the heavens?
A holy thing to love.
Thank you, Laura, dearest sister, for sharing Rabbi Stern'south beautiful poem with us.
Source: https://www.writemesomethingbeautiful.com/2019/05/06/tis-a-fearful-thing/
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