Rachel’s Masking Tape

How I hoped to hold up the sign that shouted, “Welcome home, Hersh!”

…Or at the very least to be placed over Rachel’s heart; a heart that never stopped beating, that welcomed us in, and connected us all.

I imagined feeling her burning fire; being stared at, emulated by so many, and teaching the Jewish People and the world how counting is sacred, and what it means to be a mother.

… But now I’m being used to tape up shiva notices.

I’m being ripped clumsily to hold up curtains over mirrors.

I’m getting ready to seal boxes of books that will never be read, and clothing that will never be worn, and will be delivered to those in need.

… Master of the Universe, I’m running low. There’s simply not enough of me to tape up all the many broken hearts.

About the Author

Yisrael Motzen, a native of Montreal, Canada, serves as rabbi of Ner Tamid Greenspring Valley Synagogue in Baltimore, MD. He is also the Special Assistant to the EVPs of the Orthodox Union and Director of ASHIVA, a project of the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Motzen is a graduate of Ner Israel Rabbinical College and holds an M.A. in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.