January 6 – Wednesday Words
WEDNESDAY WORDS
January 6, 2021
Given the tumultuous events in our nation’s capital yesterday, Wednesday Words has been transformed this week to “Thursday Words”
Also, due to technical difficulties, I am sharing these thoughts in writing rather than via video. I must begin with the following prayer from the Union Prayer Book
“Fervently we invoke Thy blessing upon our country and our nation. Guard them, O G-d, from calamityand injury; suffer not their adversaries to triumph over them, but let the glories of a just, righteous and G-d-Fearing people increase from age to age. Enlighten with Thy wisdom and sustain with Thy power those whom the people have set in authority, the President, his counselors, and advisers, the judges, law-gives and executives, and all who are entrusted with our safety and with the guardianship of our rights and our liberties. May peace and good-will obtain among all the inhabitants of our land; may religion spread its blessings among us and exalt our nation in righteousness.
Amen”
As I prepared to sleep last evening, I held these words written so long ago Deep within my heart and my Neshama, my Soul.
As sleep came upon me, I remembered my paternal and maternal grandparents Z“L. They came to the United States late in the nineteenth century escaping
threats to their lives in Eastern Europe, in Belarus. Linda’s mother Z“L immigrated from Poland just a few years before terrors of Shoah (Holocaust ).
Linda’s father Z“L was able to come to these shores from Greece as an infant early in the twentieth century.
In America, Linda’s parents, my grandparents and my parents, with hard work and diligence, built successful lives as merchants.
From the dry goods store that my parents owned with my grandfather, from Linda’s father’s beautiful carpet store,
Linda and I, along with our cousins, were able to graduate high school, university, graduate school, law school and seminary.
How unspeakably grateful we are to our parents and grandparents for their courage and perseverance in establishing successful
lives in our blessed America.
How beyond words of gratitude am I to America for providing the foundations for our parents and grandparents
to build successful lives in our Land.
I was traveling to and from Rayne, Louisiana, yesterday for a private Burial service for Jim Levy Sr. of Bunkie, Z“L. We had Jim’s
Funeral Service a few weeks ago but due to the heavy rains and high water table in Leger Cemetery near Rayne, burial could not
occur till today. It was important to me that I be present for his Burial to recite Kaddish in his loving memory.
I confess that I was very frightened as I listened to public radio WRKF in Baton Rouge as the news came about the
storming of the Capitol. After watching the video’s of the assault on our Capital, I became even more frightened for our Nation. I mourn the death of the lady
who was shot during these hours how grateful we must be that so far no other injuries or fatalities have been reported.
I am supremely grateful that Congress quickly reconvened to conduct Its vitally important work for our beloved country once safety
was restored. The immediate return of Congress in safety is a reminder that
we are a resilient country and that our elected leaders understand the Importance and necessity of an orderly transfer of power among our
highest elected officials. I am reminded that we are taught over and again that our fate as Jews is
Inextricably linked to the destiny of the nation in which we live. This is why the prayer above is so important at this very moment.
“May peace and good will obtain among all the inhabitants of our Land; may religion spread its blessings among us and exalt our nation
In righteousness. Amen.“
With Loving Prayers,
Rabbi Barry
*Union Prayer Book,
Volume I, page 148, Central Conference of American Rabbis,
New York, 1961