Koh Amar Hashem | Composed by Mordechai Ben David
As camp ends and we enter the 3 weeks between Shiva Asar B’Tammuz and Tisha B’Av, we enter a stage of nostalgia which can be simply explained as remembering the good parts of the past. Yesterday’s haftorah beginning the special haftorot for the 3 weeks is from the book of Yirmiyahu. God tells the prophet Yirmiyahu that He fondly remembers the beautiful time in the desert when He led the Israelites through uncharted territory, comparing it to how a groom and bride walk together at the beginning of a marriage when so much is unknown: ‘כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר ה זָכַ֤רְתִּי לָךְ֙ חֶ֣סֶד נְעוּרַ֔יִךְ אַהֲבַ֖ת כְּלוּלֹתָ֑יִךְ לֶכְתֵּ֤ךְ אַחֲרַי֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּאֶ֖רֶץ לֹ֥א זְרוּעָֽה/Thus said the LORD: I accounted to your favor The devotion of your youth, Your love as a bride— How you followed Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown. (2:2). For us, Indoor World has been a bit like walking around a desert that is unknown. Yet, we have tried our best to navigate and we hope that like us, you will all remember it fondly!
What do you think about the metaphor of God and Israel’s relationship being like the beginning of a marriage? How does that affect your idea of what davening is? Tell us in the Be’ur Tefillah form!
