"May the Lord bless you and protect you,
May the Lord show you kindness and be gracious to you,
May the Lord bestow favor upon you and grant you peace." (Num 6:24-26)
These are the three pesukim, verses, from the Torah known as Birkat Kohanim, The Priestly Blessing. They constitute the blessing the Kohanim, the priests, would impart daily in the Temple of Jerusalem to the Jewish people. Today they are still recited during services, but the practice varies in the different movements.
These are the words my mom told me before I left my village a couple of weeks ago, holding her hand over the back of my head. I guess that’s the way a Christian woman does nesi’at kappayim to bless her son, the rabbi. And these are the words she repeated when I called home to inform my family in Italy I had arrived safely in Tokyo. And with these words, that I hope be fulfilled during my time in Japan, I would like to start this blog.
This first entry in my mind is also little tribute to my mom and dad who, unfortunately, given their complete ignorance of English will never be able to read it. My parents are two of the most amazing individuals I have ever met. They have showered with love my sister and me, and made the biggest sacrifices to take us where we are. They have accepted me in all my different permutations and with all my revelations, and, most of all, they have never clipped my wings and let me fly freely since I was eighteen.
Even when I announced to my parents that I might be moving to Japan, their only reaction was: "If this is where God sends you, you have to go." So here I am, with their blessings, missing them slightly more than when I was in the US, because Tokyo, mentally, is further away from Sicily than NYC.
1 comment:
What a touching tribute to your parents! I am sure that although they cannot read it, they know and appreciate your feelings. I am really glad you could go and see them before relocating half way across the world. Tokyo seems sooo far away.
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