This Thursday, after the Passover Seders, we attended two funerals of people we know from the community. As the Yiddish saying goes, “No one should die any younger” for both these people lived long and full lives. At each of these funerals we heard inspiring stories. I’ll share with you two short stories tonight from Henry’s funeral.
1) Henry has three sons. The first son spoke only one sentence at his father’s open grave. It was a biblical verse about Abraham: “And Abraham grew old, advanced in years, and G-d blessed Abraham with everything.” The son said the verse in Hebrew and English, one brief, powerful sentence, a telling one about both father and son. How do you define “blessed with everything”? What is everything to you? Henry had an auto repair shop in a small upstate NY city, had a loving relationship with his wife of 68 years, three sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He remained committed to Jewish observance and to upkeep of the small local synagogue. He was not wealthy, he was not wildly successful, his possessions and pleasures were simple. Yet the one thing this son said about his father was that “G-d blessed him with everything.”
2) Another son told this second story, something to think about and remember: Until about a year ago Henry was quite strong and healthy, but his health took a sharp turn for the worse soon after his beloved wife Rose had to be admitted to a Nursing Home due to her increasing dementia. Not long after, Henry himself was admitted to the same nursing home, with serious medical conditions that led to his passing this Passover, at age 95. One day last week, just a few days before his passing, this son wheeled his father Henry past Rose’s room. Henry greeted his wife, but she did not return the greeting due to her dementia. It may have been hard for the son to see, but Henry turned to his son and said, “Isn’t she the most beautiful woman in the world?”
That second story needs no commentary. It is such a powerful testament to true love, a strong marriage, an amazing relationship.
So what does all this have to do with Passover? Either way, these are such inspiring and valuable life messages, timeless and ever timely, regardless of any Passover connection. Here are two Passover connections:
a) Many communities have the custom to read “Shir HaShirim” Song of Songs on the Shabbat in middle of Passover (this weekend). Its an allegorical romantic analogy for the love between G-d and the Jewish People. So Henry’s thinking of his wife Rose as “the most beautiful woman in the world” is quite timely.
2) These two stories can be a lens to view freedom, the central theme of Passover. What does freedom really mean? Freedom to do anything we want? Freedom to get whatever we want? Freedom to have no boundaries… or is it freedom from want – so that we want we we have instead of have what we want. Is it freedom to be with any woman, or is it freedom to be as totally and absolutely loving and dedicated as Henry was to Rose?