Elul, Day 29 - כ"ט באלול
Dear Elul Writers,
The sages of the Talmud teach that when we are sending a traveler on their way, we should put a little bread in their basket, a little pat b’salo. The idea of giving them bread is not that a baguette will necessarily be able to sustain them in any ongoing way, but, rather, that they might be able to travel farther and with more confidence knowing that they have some source of nourishment stowed away. I hope that this Elul practice, whether you journaled or discussed or carved out time to read, was a way of putting a little bread in your basket. I hope that you travel into the new year more confidently and more hopeful because of these twenty nine days we spent together.
For each of you, whether you are a nurse or a filmmaker, a union organizer or a rabbi, a school teacher or a life-long student, I pray that you find the nourishment to get through these exceedingly difficult times.
Prompt
What little provisions will you put in your basket to get you through the days and weeks and months ahead? It does not have to be enough to sustain you, just enough to help you walk through the gates of the new year with courage and with assurance.
The 29th of Elul is the yahrtzeit of my grandfather, Neal Nierman. Each year I dedicate this Elul practice to his memory. I have often said that he was my first chevrutah. Today, I also want to honor my grandmother, Ruth Nierman who is 97, and, though she would surely deny it, has taught me just as much. In recent weeks she has been reading and rereading the Bar Mitzvah speech of my nephew, Ike. Though she couldn’t be there, she might as well have been. Her pride is a gift that seems limitless, flowing through generations, astounding us with its abundance.
May we all know overflowing blessing in 5782.
Shana tova,
Jordan