Yiddish has a wonderful expression to describe the relationship between people whose children are married or partnered: “Mahatunim.” In South Africa, however, there is shortened form. The mother of your in-lawed new child is your Machi.
By all kinds of wonderful coincidences my Machi is a childhood friend. And a few years ago she gave me a lovely gift. Taking an embroidery hoop, she strung beautiful blue beads across some wires: seven rows of seven beads each. I hung it up and used it each day as a holy abacus for the Omer, pulling one bead across the wire each day.
Alas! Last year the wires broke and the beads clattered to the floor. Carefully, I picked them all up and placed them in a small, earthy bowl. There was something about the sound of the beads gently clicking against each other that was soothing and centering. I decided to use my Machi’s Sefirah beads in a new way.
A second bowl made by my daughter-in-law was repurposed. The two bowls were placed on my counter next to a list of all the people whom I knew needed prayers for healing. Each night, I would gently pick up one bead, hold it and recite the bracha. The bead would get a little warm as I rolled it around in my palm and added to my intention as I said each name aloud from the list. It made the recitation of the prayer personal, and alive in a new way.
We beg you! ANA. Such a plaintive word that opens the voice and the heart.
With the strength of Your right hand’s greatness. I could feel this strength in the small blue bead.
Untie our bundled sins. Who does not need moments for reflection and reckoning all across the year?
Accept the prayer of Your nation; strengthen and purify us,
O Awesome One.
Please, O Strong One – those who foster your Oneness, guard them like the pupil of an eye. Some of the beads themselves have darker blue eyes. They were staring back at me.
Contemplating the divine secrets of Creation has often felt too grand for my limited self. But saying them on behalf of people whom I love: that I can do. And that is what I will be doing once again for 5781.
