We read in this portion that Miriam took the timbrel in her hand and that the women followed her with timbrels and dances. The author of keli yakar maintains that this song that she sang was the result of the Holy Spirit. However, this Spirit, being an aspect of prophecy, can come to a person only when they rest or dwell in joy and happiness. Therefore, since a woman suffers pangs of birth — and this implies as well the difficultie and hardships of raising children, which task devolves more on the woman than on the man — therefore she required timbrels, which Moses and the men did not, in order to place them in a happier mood and thereby be able to obtain the spirit of song and prophecy Interestingly, R. Bahye b. Asher says that the last word, for dances, meholot, should also be read mehilot, forgiveness. This means, he says, that whoever has a miracle performed to him and responds with shirah, in gratitude to God, is forgiven all his sins. Having arrived at this point, Judy, where you have officiated at this wonderful Bar Mitzvah, the last of three, it is something of a miracle. Your attitude, and the spirit of all of us, is one of shirah — and therefore all your sins are for- given, i.e., you start a new chapter in life, one which we hope will be filled with good news and happiness.

We gather today both as Americans and as Jews to express our concern, our heart break, our fury, and our worry about the future on a day that has been described by one of the highest officials of this country as “worse than Pearl Harbor.” It will forever remain a black day in American history. Additionally, for Jews this is already a day of sad and bitter recollection: today, the 23rd of Elul, is the anniversary of the Nazi liquidation of the Vilna ghetto. So for us, both as Jews and as Americans, this is a day of irvuv — confusion, chaos, and commiseration for all those whose lives were lost, and for those whose loved ones were murdered or are missing. These men and women — no matter what their race or religion or politics — were all by virtue of their humanity created be’tzelem Elohim, in the divine Image, and we mourn for them and grieve with the people they left behind. I suspect that in the coming days we will learn that there are people who are close to us, relatives and alumni whom we have known and cherished, who are or will yet be victims of this cruel and vicious attack. I received a call this morning about a graduate of Yeshiva College and of Cardozo whose offices were on the 85th or 86th floor of the World Trade Center; fortunately he went to another office in Jersey this morning, but he learned that his entire law firm was virtually disintegrated, and many of the leaders of the firm are dead. We will be hearing more stories of this kind as time goes on. But even as we feel overwhelmed by the shock and by feelings of depression and dejection, we must strive to concentrate on the future, and express our hope and our tefillah that all who are still alive be saved, and that the families of the victims be consoled. In the days and years to come we will take account of what happened and, as a community and as a nation, do what has to be done. How are we to make sense of this incredible cataclysm? As believing Jews, מאמינים בני מאמינים, we are puzzled: why, o…