At a wedding uniting two widowed parents, the eleven children—who had each buried a mother or father—joined hands and danced to a song about loss and renewal, creating a moment that captured the enduring spirit of the entire Jewish nation.
At the wedding of Rachel Goldberg, who lost her husband Rabbi Avi Goldberg הי״ד, and Aminadav Rotenberg, who lost his wife Noa to cancer, something happened that I can’t get out of my system.
Eleven children — eight who buried their father last year, three who buried their mother four years ago — began dancing together to the words:
“Melech meimis u’mechayeh… u’matzmiach yeshuah.” The King who takes life, and gives life, and somehow grows salvation.
They insisted on that niggun (a form of religious Jewish vocal music, particularly associated with Hasidic Judaism. It refers to a melodic tune or wordless melody sung repeatedly, often in a group setting, as a means of spiritual elevation, prayer, meditation, or ecstatic worship).
Watching them, after everything they’ve lived through, was the clearest expression I’ve ever seen of שבטך ומשענתך המה ינחמני.
If you understand this moment… you understand our whole nation.
Video - Shlomo Katz/Youtube