The Bat Mitzvah girl and Rabbi Lee Diamond
Lee Diamond – Tongue Tied & Simcha = שמחה
Tongue Tied
To: American Jewry, 2019 ce
From: Jeremiah, Babylon, 586 bce
It’s very tempting
To try to Integrate
All you need to do is:
Change your Name.
Change your Dress style.
Change your language.
Cease Brit Mila.
Change your direction.
And there’s a good chance
That you’ll become
One of them.
Turn your back
On Jerusalem
And face Babylon
From now on
Speak Acadian
Speak Persian
And there’s a good chance
That you’ll become
One of them!
Only possible problems
That I can see
You’ll no longer
Be You.
And if God Forbid
A new generation
Arises
They may “forget Joseph”
And seek you out
And attempt to
Racially purify
And you will be
Impure to them
And you’ll no longer
Remember who you are.
A former Jew
A former Babylonian
With no identity
Of your own.
You’ll be tongue tied
Your strength sapped
An empty person
With no accepted DNA
I, Jeremiah
See it happening
Before my very eyes
All around us
Don’t forget Jerusalem
Keep facing it
Keep it above your
highest Joy
It’s your essence
It’s your DNA
Your Birthright
Your language
Your past
And your only
Guaranteed
Future
Simcha = שמחה
Kaifeng, China
2002
-An American Jewish family
-A Bar Mitzvah of their son
-On the site of the destroyed
Kaifeng Synagogue
-Now a hospital
-A family gathering
-A rabbi from Hong Kong
-A Sefer Torah
-An invitation
To to the “decedents
Of the Jews” in Kaifeng
To join
The bar Mitzvah
Read the Torah portion
For the day.
All were engrossed:
-In the location
-In the explained
Torah reading
-And In this mixed
Community of “decedents
Of the Jews” and American
Jews together.
-Three Jews called
To the Torah including
The bar mitzvah
-Suddenly
A young “ Chinese Descendent” asked the rabbi
for an Aliyah.
Hmmmm.
Hmmmm.
Well why not?
The rabbi asked for
His Hebrew name
None!!! replied the descendant!
What’s your name in Chinese?
It means Joy said our descendent!
“Yaamod Simcha Ben ????”
He read the blessings in English.
Candies thrown for all, by all.
Danced together all.
Mazal Tov for all!
ONE YEAR LATER
In Hong Kong
Friday evening service
Full house
All Jews and one
Chinese face ——
HE, Sporting a fedora hat
A long black coat
Tzitzit out and
Tiny Payot.
All this In a Reform Shul
After Shul
The rabbi greeted him
“Hi sir, welcome !”
What brings you here?
“Rabbi, I’m Simcha”
Don’t you remember me?
I’m studying to be
A Jew!
In Lakewood, N.J.
I on my way home to Kaifeng
And I wanted to “Daven” here.
And I suddenly discovered
How “THE NAME” works in our world
SUCH JOY. SUCH SIMCHA.
