The funeral began at 11 AM. Manasseh was born in Singapore to an Iraqi family of Mizrachi Jews. His father was the Rabbi of that Iraqi expat community. His son and grandson were present…they both placed a shovelful of soil on the coffin after Kaddish.
The weather was cloudy, rain threatening. The cemetery rolled a moveable tent over the open grave and over the mourners. I think the roof was a corrugated plastic or metal.
I was reading The 23rd Psalm:
And, as I read…
The Lord is my shepherd;
I lack nothing.
The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures;
the Lord leads me to water in places of repose;
the Lord renews my life;
the Lord guides me in right paths
as befits the Lord’s name.
Though I walk through a valley of deep darkness,
I fear no harm, for You are with me.
Your rod and your staff they comfort me.
You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies;
You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my drink is abundant.
Only goodness and steadfast love shall pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
for many long years.
And, as I read…it began to rain, a harder than softer rain. And the rain left a sound imprint on the roof that surrounded the mourners and me and punctuated the phrase I was reading at the time:
water in places of repose
No comments:
Post a Comment