THESE I REMEMBER
אֵלֶה אֶזְכְּרָה וְנַפְשִׁי אֶשְׁפְּכָה
Eileh ezk’rah v’nafshi eshp’chah
These I remember, and I pour out my soul
Child One, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Two, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Three, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Four, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Five, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Six, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Seven, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Eight, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Nine, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Ten, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Eleven,murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Twelve, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Thirteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Fourteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Fifteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Sixteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Seventeen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Eighteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Child Nineteen, murdered with a legally purchased gun at their elementary school
Adult One, murdered with a legally purchased gun while at work at the school
Adult Two, murdered with a legally purchased gun while at work at the school
As of this writing, the names of the children and adults slaughtered at school in Uvalde, Texas, have not been officially released. That I do not know their names does not make them less dead. Each murdered person’s loved ones and friends know their name, know that they will not come home from school ever again.
I have written and spoken about this before. Last week, I wrote about the eight people murdered in Buffalo while shopping at a supermarket. Last week! I have spoken about this on Shabbat before, at least twice. Maybe three times! Torah tells us the blood of the murdered cries out from the ground. Torah tells us that the rules of communal life are to live by. Torah tells us we are made in the image of God. And that we have free will. So choose life. Do something. Do something!
With blessings for a week of peace,
Hazzan Steve