March 21, 2020 It occurred to me on my early morning walk today, that how most people present themselves is different than it was, say, a few months ago. And, how we are in the world matters. Let me explain. I went to the grocery store yesterday. Shelves were about 30% full, many empty, gaping, reminders of the fear-based rush we’ve seen in the past week. People in the store were wary, still generally respectful to each other, but not …
Tag: accompanying
This is a description that I wrote shortly after I had my first experience of shmirah, guarding or watching over someone who has died. The Jewish tradition is not to leave a person alone from the time of their death until the time of their burial. A shomer (male) or shomeret (female) is the person who stays with the dead person during this time. I was asked as a member of the Chevrah Kadisha to serve this role for a person in the community who had died. …