Parashat Shmini

Gadi Eisenkot, the former Chief of Staff of the IDF and current War Cabinet member in Israel, was reviewing IDF operation on December 7th when a casualty notification officer entered the room. He did not need to utter a word for everyone in the room to understand that Gadi Eisenkot’s son was killed in battle. The following day, the prime minister, president, and most of the military elite in Israel were present at Gal Eisenkot’s funeral. There were elements of the funeral and shiva that would seem no different than any other traditional Jewish mourning ritual, and then there were the elements that reflected the reality of a public official whose job is critical for society.  Judaism’s laws of mourning are derived from a similar case in Parashat Shmini.  Two of Aaron’s sons die while offering a “strange fire.” Moshe instructs Aaron and his sons “do not let your hair grow wild and do not tear your garments” (Leviticus 10:6). From there our Sages derive that when mourning we may not shave or cut our hair and we rip the garments that we are wearing at the funeral for our immediate family members. Aaron and his sons are instructed not to follow these practices. As the religious leaders, their jobs are too central and visible for them to deviate from the norms of their regular responsibilities. The private citizen may mourn both privately and publicly, but the public official must carry on – or at a minimum, give the public the impression that s/he is doing so. 

In February, I was at the funeral on Mt. Herzl of Sgt. Avraham Ovgan who was killed in battle in Gaza. He was eulogized by a general from the army, an army rabbi, the rabbi representing the Ethiopian Jewish community, and several family members. I got the sense that I was at the funeral of someone who I would have enjoyed getting to know had I had the opportunity. Shabbat HaChodesh heralds in the month of Nisan in which the holiday of Pesach falls. In deference to the month’s focus on our gaining our freedom, certain public mourning practices are not performed during Nisan, including eulogizing. Beyond that, those who are sitting shiva or who are within the 30 days after their loved one’s death will have their mourning periods cut off once Pesach begins. That feels like a particularly hard ask in a year like this. I do not have a clear suggestion for how to move forward. The public needs our holidays to create some grounding for us as well as a feeling of some normalcy. However, the individual needs to be able to mourn and have the public’s outpouring of support during that time as well. This year in particular, as we begin the month celebrating our freedom as a people, we need to be extra sensitive to those within our community who have lost those with whom they usually celebrate. 

May this Nisan be restored as a month celebrating freedom from captivity and a month worthy of celebrating!

Shabbat Shalom!  Chodesh Tov!