Rabbi Amichai is joined by Rabbi Dahlia Shacham from Haifa to pause during this Day of Atonement, explore a sacred story of soul survival, and share notes from the frontlines of the ongoing movement to resist despair, build bridges for peace across divides and create a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. Rabbi Dhalia and Rabbi Amichai both serve on the Executive Board of Rabbis for Human Rights, which is co-sponsoring this session.
Slide 1: “Jonah in the Belly of the Fish” by Eitan Kedmy
Slide 2: Psalm 130
שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֑וֹת
מִמַּעֲמַקִּ֖ים קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהֹוָֽה׃
A song of ascents.
Out of the depths I call You, O ETERNAL One.
אֲדֹנָי֮ שִׁמְעָה בְק֫וֹלִ֥י
תִּהְיֶ֣ינָה אזְנֶיךָ קַשֻּׁב֑וֹת
לְ֝ק֗וֹל תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
Source of All, listen to my cry;
let Your ears be attentive
to my plea for mercy.
Slides 3-5: Jonah 2
א וַיְמַן יְהוָה דָּג גָּדוֹל, לִבְלֹעַ אֶת-יוֹנָה; וַיְהִי יוֹנָה בִּמְעֵי הַדָּג, שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת.
1 God appointed a huge fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
ב וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל יוֹנָה, אֶל-יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו, מִמְּעֵי, הַדָּגָה
2 Jonah prayed to YHWH his God, from the belly of the fish.
ג וַיֹּאמֶר, קָרָאתִי מִצָּרָה לִי אֶל-יְהוָה–וַיַּעֲנֵנִי; מִבֶּטֶן שְׁאוֹל שִׁוַּעְתִּי, שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹלִי.
3 And he said: I called out from my distress and God answered me; from the belly of the grave I cried out, You heard my voice.
ד וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מְצוּלָה בִּלְבַב יַמִּים, וְנָהָר יְסֹבְבֵנִי; כָּל-מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ, עָלַי עָבָרוּ.
4 You cast me into the deep, in the heart of the seas, and a river surrounded me; all Your breakers and Your waves passed over me.
ו אֲפָפוּנִי מַיִם עַד-נֶפֶשׁ, תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי; סוּף, חָבוּשׁ לְרֹאשִׁי.
6 Water has surrounded me even up to my soul, the deep encompassed me; Reeds surround my head.
ח בְּהִתְעַטֵּף עָלַי נַפְשִׁי, אֶת-יְהוָה זָכָרְתִּי; וַתָּבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִי, אֶל-הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ.
8 When my soul was wrapped upon me, I remembered God and my prayer came to You to Your Holy Temple.
Slides 6-7: “Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism” by Salman Rushdie, 1981-1991
“The truth is that there is no whale. We live in a world without hiding places; the missiles have made sure of that. However much we may wish to return to the womb, we cannot be unborn. So we are left with a fairly straightforward choice. Either we agree to delude ourselves, to lose ourselves in the fantasy of the great fish; or we can do what all human beings do instinctively when they realize that the womb has been lost forever–that is, we can make the very devil of a racket.
Certainly, when we cry, we cry partly for the safety we have lost; but we also cry to affirm ourselves, to say, here I am, I matter, too, you’re going to have to reckon with me. So, in place of Jonah’s womb, I am recommending the ancient tradition of making as big a fuss, as noisy a complaint about the world as is humanly possible.”
Slide 8: “The Soothing Scent of Tears” by The Weizmann Institute
In the case of humans, the impact of tears on behavior has not been directly assessed, but there is existing evidence indicating that the chemical signals present in tears influence the human body. In Noam Sobel’s lab, it was previously discovered that the scent of women’s tears reduces testosterone levels in men – a physical response associated with a decrease in aggressive behavior.
Slides 9-10: Psalm 42
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לִבְנֵי־קֹֽרַח׃
For the conductor. A Psalm of the Sons of Korach.
כְּאַיָּ֗ל תַּעֲרֹ֥ג עַל־אֲפִֽיקֵי־מָ֑יִם
כֵּ֤ן נַפְשִׁ֨י תַעֲרֹ֖ג אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֱלֹהִֽים׃
Like a doe yearning for water,
my soul cries for You, O God;
צָמְאָ֬ה נַפְשִׁ֨י ׀ לֵאלֹהִים֮ לְאֵל חָ֥֫י
מָתַ֥י אָב֑וֹא וְ֝אֵרָאֶ֗ה פְּנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִֽים׃
my soul thirsts for God, the living God;
O when will I come to appear before God!
הָיְתָה־לִּ֬י דִמְעָתִ֣י לֶ֭חֶם יוֹמָ֣ם וָלָ֑יְלָה
בֶּאֱמֹ֥ר אֵלַ֥י כּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אַיֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
My tears have been my food day and night;
I am ever taunted with, “Where is your God?”
תְּהוֹם־אֶל־תְּה֣וֹם ק֭וֹרֵא
לְק֣וֹל צִנּוֹרֶ֑יךָ
כּל־מִשְׁבָּרֶ֥יךָ וְ֝גַלֶּ֗יךָ עָלַ֥י עָבָֽרוּ׃
where deep calls to deep
in the roar of Your channels,
all Your breakers and billows have swept over me.
Slide 11
יְהִי שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵילֵךְ
שַׁלְוָה בְּאַרְמְנוֹתָיִךְ
Yehi shalom b’cheilech
shalva b’armenotayich
ليكن سلام في أبراجك ، راحة في قصورك
Serenity in our public place