Once upon a time there was a holy and faithful Rabbi. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur arrived, the Rabbi had fasted, done penance and prayed for his small congregation. That night, the holiest night of the Jewish year, they all gathered in the synagogue praying, asking for forgiveness and mercy from G-d, blessed be the Name. The Rabbi stood with his back to the people, tightly wrapped in his prayer shawl. He prayed fervently, remembering that throughout the world the Jewish people had gathered together, their prayers ascending to the Holy One. As he prayed, the Rabbi begged for some sign that his prayer on behalf of the people had been heard. As soon as he thought it and prayed it, he was taken aback. For just a moment he heard a voice, as clear as a bell, say: “Have Tam offer your prayers to me, and I will graciously accept all of you, forgiving all things and showering my mercy on you.” And then, as sure as the light, the sense, the sound, the voice was gone. The Rabbi stood alone. He turned and faced the congregation and instead of praying the intercessions, as the ritual demanded, called out: “Tam, Tam! Where are you?” The silence was deafening, the congregation stunned, and Tam, who rarely attended services, thought to himself: “What have I done now? What terrible thing will be visited upon me now?” Tam was poor, unlettered and worked so hard he often missed services. He was a good enough soul, but he hadn’t amounted to much in the community. Tam tried to hide but was recognized and the Rabbi gestured to the assembly to carry Tam to the front of the synagogue. Tam stood, silent, with head bowed before the Rabbi. The Rabbi smiled and spoke directly to Tam: “I have been praying for mercy and forgiveness for all of us this great night and have been clearly told by G-d that we will all be taken back into the heart of G-d, if you pray for us!” Tam was speechless. How could he pray? He couldn’t even read the prayers in the book. He tried to convince the Rabbi that this was a mistake, but the Rabbi was insistent. Tam must pray for all of them! Finally, Tam agreed. He looked at the Rabbi and said: “I have to get my prayers.” The Rabbi peered down at him with some confusion and bid him to go quickly! Tam ran through the congregation, out the door to his home and returned with his “prayers”, a simple earthenware pitcher. He stood next to the Rabbi, lifted high the pitcher and prayed: “O Holy One, you know I am not good at praying, but I bring all I have. This pitcher holds my tears. Late at night, even when I am tired, I try to pray to you. And then I think of my poor wife and children and the fact that they have no clean clothes to wear and are ashamed, and I cry. “And then I think of all the hungry ones, the beggars on the streets in the cold and rain, miserable and so alone and I cry some more. And then G-d, I think of what we do to each other. I think of the gossip and the hate, the quarrels and wars, and I think of you crying, G-d, of you looking down on us hurting one another, and I know that you weep for us. G-d, I cry for you and how it must break your heart and sadden you so, to see how cruel we can be to each other. Please, take my tears, accept my prayers and take all of us back into your heart once again. Give us a blessing and forgive us in your great mercy and kindness.” Tam poured his pitcher of tears over the floor. There was a long silence, and then the Rabbi spoke haltingly with choked voice saying: “G-d has heard Tam, and we are forgiven. We are again made whole. Let us live with grateful hearts.” The service concluded and the congregants left the synagogue quietly. They vowed never to forget Tam’s prayer with his pitcher filled with tears, making sure they would cause fewer people to cry. They looked at Tam and his family differently, and their neighbors too. Many were reconciled that holy night and all went home thinking of the tears of G-d. From “Lent, The Sunday Readings”, by Megan McKenna, Orbis Press, 1997. All rights reserved. (Contributed by Fr. Stephen C. Ernst, S.T.)
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