Remember

By RABBI JOSEPH H. PROUSER

Yom Kippur’s “Martyrology” service is a moving tribute to those Jews who, in times of persecution throughout history, gave their lives for our faith. In unsparing, graphic detail, the liturgy describes the tortured deaths of Rabbis Akiba, Chanina ben Teradyon, Yehudah ben Bava, and other Sages.

The Martyrology takes its Hebrew name from the Biblical verse with which it opens: “Eileh Ezkerah – These I will remember…” (Psalms 42:5). In that original context, however, the Psalmist recalled not pain and suffering, but the heights of joy and jubilation: “These I will remember… how I walked with a crowd, a festive throng, to the House of God – with joyous shouts of praise!”

Even as we invoke the darkest moments of our national past, the Martyrology invites us to remain mindful of the proudest, most joyous elements of Jewish history… and to treasure the inspiring beauty of our ancient religious tradition.

By repurposing Psalm 42, Eileh Ezkerah also issues a parallel but more personal challenge. Notwithstanding the adversity, disappointment, and loss we must each inevitably endure – we are urged by this Yom Kippur ritual to remain focused on the celebrations, the worthy achievements, the community ties, the moments of spiritual fulfillment, the love, and the blessings which define our lives… and defiantly to insist:

“These I will remember!”

(Rabbi Joseph H. Prouser is the rabbi of Temple Emanuel of North Jersey and the former National Chaplain of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting.)