Sanctify and Set an Example

Day 104: The Special Obligation of Religious Jews to Sanctify God's Name

This year, I've made a lot of nonJewish friends. This area of the country tends to be predominantly Christian so when my new friends found out I'm Jewish, I heard a lot of things like this: "oh! There was a Jew at my school but he was weird", "oh! There was a Jew at my school but I hated her", and "yeah, you look Jewish." Now, let's be honest: none of these things feel too good to hear or to reread.

But on the other hand, I can't blame them. If they've only met one Jew, they're probably basing all their assumptions about Jews on that one person. The rest of us do that with other racial or ethnic groups, and we're included in that.

[And to emulate Tevye] on the other hand, we have been called "the chosen people", shouldn't we be setting examples on how to act and how to live? Don't we want to be the good people others emulate when they want to be morally and ethically right? This is our obligation to sanctify God's name: "bring honor to yourself, the Jewish people, and God" (148),

Lastly, I wrote this last year after visiting the Warsaw Cemetery and the Lupocova Forest. It's a piece I'm incredibly proud of and I want to share my thoughts and feelings with anyone else. I'll paste the text of my poem underneath this entry, but it can also be found here: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/reaction-to-the-warsaw-cemetery/ I hope everyone has a meaningful Yom HaShoah.

Dear ghost,
Do you still shudder when you hear the sound of boots?
Do you see my tears when I cry for you?
Do you hear us tell your story?
We remember you.
Dear ghost,
Did you know we believe in the same God?
We still light fire on Friday night,
Maybe to chase away the darkness of your time.
Dear ghost,
Have you come out of hiding?
I saw your picture once in a museum;
It was unlabeled.
Dear ghost,
I know you have a name.
It must have been whispered by the
angel as he took your soul with him.
Dear ghost, dear brother,
Would we have been friends?
I want to know your name.
Dear ghost,
Did you listen this year? Did you listen to the blast of the shofar?
Did we stand together at Har Sinai?
Have I met you before?
Ghost?
Did you hide your eyes when they beat him to death?
Humiliated him.
Your own rebbe.
Did you mourn for him?
Did you have time
Before you had to run?
Do you miss Anatevka?
Dear ghost,
I visited your grave.
Dear,
There was no name.
It was unlabeled.
You must have been buried with your brethren.
You will never be alone,
Friend.
Dear ghost,
What's your name?

Dear ghost,
Grass now grows on top of you.
Dear ghost,
Did you try to run? To hide as they slaughtered your family
Your friends
Everyone you knew?
Dear ghost,
Did you raise your voice in praise in the building with the beautiful walls?
Dear ghost,
I walked today through a forest.
Your forest.
I stepped on twigs and leaves
But it felt as though I was crushing your body with every step I took.
Dear ghost,
What was the last thing you saw
Before your world was painted red with your blood, your family's blood,
Your friends' blood,
The blood of everyone you knew.