* Translated by Janine Muller Sherr
“Shalom, Sivan. My name is Mazal and my parents came on aliyah to Israel from Ethiopia. Today, on the 29th of Cheshvan, my community observes the Sigd holiday. I believe that the Sigd is precisely what we need in Israel today:
Fifty days after Yom Kippur, the Ethiopian Jews assemble for a day of prayer and self-reflection in anticipation of redemption. Without this holiday, we would not remember that 50 days have passed since the holy day of Yom Kippur, on which we took upon ourselves to improve and mend our ways.
In Ethiopia, our parents would clean and put on their white clothing, and humbly march toward a high mountain, on which lay piles of rocks, symbolizing the burden of their heavy sins. At the summit of the mountain, community leaders would lead a prayer service and urge their fellow Jews to keep observing the commandments despite the hardships of exile. They also promised that we would ultimately return to Yerusalem, Jerusalem.
So today we are reminded to choose a different path; to pray; to recall promises we made at the beginning of the year; to cleanse what has already become soiled; and to recognize how Jerusalem still holds a special place in our hearts as we yearn for redemption.”
