• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rabbi Chaya Gusfield

Rabbi Chaya Gusfield, Jewish Renewal, rabbi, spiritual director, chaplain

  • Home
  • Meet Chaya
    • About Chaya
    • Videos & Publications
  • Chaya’s Garden
  • Art Gallery
  • Spiritual Direction
    • What is Spiritual Direction?
    • Group Spiritual Direction
    • Design Your Own Group
  • Offerings
    • What Chaya Offers
    • Events & Classes
    • End of Life, Grief, Mourning
    • Torahscope
    • For Chaplains
    • Favorite Resources
  • Get in Touch
    • Contact
    • Payments

August 14, 2022
Filed Under: Chaplain Reflections, Grief Writings, Healing, Reflections on Love
1 Comment

Who Will Live and Who Will Die?

No matter how many people I have accompanied or witnessed or just heard about who have died, I am always surprised at the great impact hearing of their death has on Life itself. The bucket, or pot, or cloud, or breath of grief we carry from past losses, from fear of future losses, from losses other than the loss of human life, is touched.  The earth shifts, the birds sing differently, and dreams change. Colors dim or brighten, sounds come into focus.

Food tastes different even with the death of people I didn’t know well, but impacted my life.  Like a kind Jewish lesbian writer extraordinaire*, and an attorney I worked with in my youth for whose passion and craft freed prisoners unjustly convicted of crimes.** And then there is the 102 year old woman who hosted a cheese and wine gathering days before her death. She changed lives with her love pouring all over you, so you couldn’t help but love yourself.***

We ask big questions at High Holy days, “Who will live and who will die, and how?” “Who by cancer, who by suicide, who by fire? Who by racism and who by negligence?” Other questions are arising, “Who will I lose as family and/or whose family will I join?”  “How will I be surprised?” And “Am I willing to accept the change?” “What part of myself is forever changed this year?” ”What part of the earth will survive and what part of our precious earth must we mourn?” “Can I hear the wail of God?” “Do I join their weeping?”

For now, my queries and responses are coming through my art, and less through words, so I share some with you.

*Elana Dykewomon (Oakland)

**Dennis Riordan (San Francisco)

***Lizie Goldwasser (Champaign, Ill.)

May their memories be a blessing

 

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. David Balto says

    August 14, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    thank you so much for your beautiful art which is so expressive and such a blessing

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Chaya's Garden (my blog)

If you subscribe to Chaya's Garden, this means you'll receive blog posts by email each time a new one is posted.

Categories

  • Cancer Reflections (32)
  • Chaplain Reflections (49)
  • Grief Writings (100)
  • Healing (130)
  • Home page post (1)
  • Kaddish Musings (20)
  • Music/prayer (13)
  • Prayer (78)
  • Reflections on Love (64)
  • Spiritual Direction (17)
  • Torah/Life Writings (32)
  • Uncategorized (7)
  • Writing/art prompts and art (9)
  • Writings on Suicide (10)

Footer

Join Mailing List

Follow Me

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Rabbi Chaya Gusfield · Log in

  • Home
  • Meet Chaya
  • Chaya’s Garden
  • Art Gallery
  • Spiritual Direction
  • Offerings
  • Get in Touch
 

Loading Comments...