January 2, 2014
By bethmordecai
no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
There are experiences that leave you breathless in a good way — getting a job, having a baby, celebrating a simhah — the seminal moments in your life that you’ll not only never forget, but leave you grateful and changed for the better.
Then there are experiences that are unforgettable and leave you breathless…in a bad way; the moments you’ll never forget and never wished you had. And while ALL OF US ARE OK AND HEALTHY, Rachel, myself, and our little Jonah experienced one of those moments yesterday.
We were driving normally on the Turnpike to visit Rachel’s parents for New Year’s Day when all of a sudden we got hit hard by a car from behind us. Our excellent and safe car responded by skidding and eventually (and thankfully) stopping on the shoulder of the road without any further damage. We were lucky that the roads were relatively empty so that we did not hit any other cars. With the help of a good samaritan who stopped to make sure we were ok (no scratches or bruises and Jonah slept through the whole thing), we learned how the accident occurred — a car came up very fast behind us and tried to pass us but slammed into us. Unfortunately we also learned that the driver that hit us sped away before we could determine any information that could help us hold him (or her) accountable. Thus we are left to imagine the driver’s soundness of mind and body (or lack thereof) based on how the accident occurred.
As anyone who has walked away from a terrifying highway accident can tell you (as we now find ourselves members of this infamous club) this entire ordeal has left Rachel and I shaken yet extremely grateful for being able to walk away knowing that the worst could have happened. This need to be grateful is at the heart of the Jewish prayer Ha-Gomel in which we thank God for delivering us from fateful, harrowing, or life-changing experiences; and in order to bentsch Gomel we need the presence of a minyan on Saturday morning so that we can recite the blessing as part of the Torah service.
We hope that we (nor anyone else) experience a harrowing moment like yesterday’s accident, but we know we’re forever changed by it. As such, I will be speaking during the service on how I hope this event will change my life, but in a way like those those good moments that leave you breathless; that it will change my life for the better.
May all of us stay safe and healthy in order to experience those good life changing moments.
Kol Tuv,
Rabbi Ari Saks
Category :
Rabbi
Rabbi's Journal
Tag : accident gomel rabbi rabbi's journal
