Day 4 - Reunion (part II)
Photo by Jehyun Sung on Unsplash
What happens when you haven't seen someone for six months, or what about a year or more? Sure, we see each other on social media, which pretty much makes High School reunions obsolete, but that is only part of the picture. Maybe you saw someone on video, but it isn't the same as being in their physical presence. I don't have to tell you this, but it does feel different to be with someone, face to face, in person, than virtually. This applies all the more so to someone we care about whom we haven't seen in person in a year.
Our rabbis of blessed memory actually had a blessing to say after we haven't seen someone for a year, we say the following prayer:
ברוך אתה ד', מחיה המתים
Praised are You, Who Brings Life to the Dead
The prayer comes from the Talmud (Berachot 58b): “Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One who sees his friend after thirty days recites the ‘Shehecheyanu’ blessing. If one sees him after twelve months, one recites the ‘Mechayeh Ha’Metim’ blessing.”
Why would they use this term? They weren't speaking in platitudes! If you didn't see someone for a year, there was a good chance that they had passed, or that you would never see them again as traveling long distances was uncommon in the ancient world.
Seeing that person again really was like seeing them again as a new person. Perhaps we can bring that idea to our current day even though we think we have seen someone develop over the years. But before we think about another's growth, we must begin with ourselves.
Writing Prompt:
Think back to the last year and a half. How do you think you've grown in a positive way? Think back to one or two experiences that show your growth.
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