Call the Child By its Name - Simchat Torah.
Moving Words of Esther Lachman, a mother from the Gaza Envelope
This was written many months ago, around December, I believe. I share it now for even though the country marked the one-year anniversary of October 7 weeks ago, according to the Gregorian date, yesterday the State of Israel held a quieter “day of mourning”, this time closer to the actual Hebrew date of the massacre that took place 13 months ago, on Simchat Torah. Esther argues here that this be the day we remember what happened, and shared her prayer with us, a prayer we must keep praying.
By Esther Lachman
“Women at the Forefront of Technology.”
This is the name of the conference I spoke at today.
I had several weeks to prepare for this, and usually I have no problem speaking in front of others. But there's something about standing in front of hundreds of high-tech women and engineers.
The genius factor. It got me thinking about female technology.
What is this, essentially, ‘women at the forefront of technology’?
Then, on stage, as I look out at them and speak about female resilience and bringing life back to the Gaza Envelope, I understand what female technology is.
We carry the most ingenious, complex, creative, life-creating technology within us.
Our womb. In Hebrew, rechem.
This word, rechem, means compassion.
And if the world needs something right now - it's compassion.
So much compassion. So much compassion.
And so much compassion is found when we gather together hundreds of women.
And only such gatherings that bring compassion into a common space can some kind of prayer and miracle be born.
Because that's what the technology of the womb, the rechem, does.
It brings life. And that is quite the miracle.
And a request rose up in me right there and then that surprised me.
Everyone who spoke before me spoke of ‘October 7th’.
And maybe it was a little tactless to come with such a request to women who generally love numbers and get along well with them, but I requested that we try to return to calling the Simchat Torah pogrom by its Hebrew name:
Simchat Torah.
I told them that calling it 10.7 sounds to me like a “cover” of the American 9.11.
* * *
Jewish tradition likens the Holy Ark that holds our Torah scrolls to a womb.
The fetus in its mother's womb learns Torah.
When a person dies, a Torah scroll may be written in his or her memory.
There are joyous processions when a Torah scroll is first placed inside a synagogue's Ark, similar to escorting a bride to the canopy.
Or a newborn baby.
The Holy Ark is our secret, and it remains closed and sealed
All year-round.
When it is opened, it is opened for just a moment, everyone stands up,
And when we open the Torah scroll, only the book that will be read is revealed.
But–
There is only one moment in the year when the Torah scroll is opened wide,
We take out all the books, all the souls, all the brides.
And we hug and kiss them.
And we sing and dance for them.
Without reading, without understanding, without analyzing the text.
Just joy for joy's sake.
Joyous that we have such a womb all year round,
That carries life and secrets and miracles.
* * *
The Simchat Torah pogrom was chosen by Hamas with forethought.
They knew it was a holiday.
They knew what we were celebrating.
I think of the moment when the Torah scrolls that were stolen from us will return from the dark pits.
How we will hug them. How we will kiss them.
How much joy we will find in them simply because they’ll return.
Simply because they are a part of us. Simply because there must be one moment a year when everything will open wide,
And all will be taken out.
And for this moment I want to ask from the depth of my female technology,
Call the child by its name -
Simchat Torah.
Joy will yet have its turn.
*******
Thank you Leah for sharing 🩷 I loved reading this because I learned something and feel closer to Israel.