Usually when I drive alone, I listen to classes, make calls (from my hands free device) or spend time thinking and planning. One day this week, I turned on NPR as they were playing some live reporting from the BBC as the Queen's Coffin was being escorted down the road from Horse Guards Parade, down Whitehall, to the House of Parliament and Westminster.
Every minute a cannon sounded and in the background one could hear the marching bands and the sounds of the many thousands of people lining the streets to honor the Queen. The reporter was describing every move that was happening and every foot that the carriage moved forward and what it passed. He even described a lone leaf falling from a nearby tree as the sailors of the Royal Navy were standing in salute near one of the statues that line the street.
I was driving in Wayland, but I felt like I was standing there on this street that I had walked so many times, as the historic procession was taking place. Boom, another cannon shot went off from Hyde Bark, and the band continued its music, and the Royal Family Members marched straight on, looking forward and not to the right or left, as thousands of well wishers looked on.
Then I got a phone call, and I landed back in Wayland.
There have been few funerals in modern history that will be quite like the Queen's this coming Monday, as leaders from around the world attend and millions of British people pay their respects. Probably billions of people will be watching or have watched some of it already, and this will certainly go down in history as a truly historic event.
Later in the week I was studying the weekly Torah portion, and no, it doesn't mention funerals or kings or queens, but it does mention a very special and unique Mitzvah called Bikkurim. As I read it and was reminded of how it was performed in Biblical and Temple times, the pomp and the ceremonies of the last few days, took on another dimension.
The Mitzvah entailed taking some of the first fruits that one had grown and delivering them to the Cohen in the Temple. Once there, the person would recite a declaration of Thanksgiving to G-d, and be blessed in turn by the Cohen to be able to continue doing this the next year.
This Mitzvah was usually performed on the holiday of Shavuot and then could continue to be brought all the way until the holiday of Sukkot. The Talmud describes in greater detail the specifics of the ceremony, and tells us that each village would gather in a procession, with all different kinds of baskets, some made out of wicker and some made out of gold or silver. They would then march along with their animals which were adorned for the occasion, with flute players and other musicians marching in front as they led them with song and music on their way to Jerusalem.
As they approached Jerusalem, they would meet up with processions from other villages that would join them for this festive parade to Jerusalem, which was to conclude with a Thanksgiving ceremony in the temple for all of the blessings that they had been blessed with.
As they moved a little closer, a procession would leave Jerusalem, with it's own musicians and flute players, who would lead a crowd in song and melody to welcome the incoming processions from the many villages of Israel. Once they met just outside Jerusalem, they would march together to in to the Holy City of Jerusalem for the final stretch when they would come to the Temple and begin the special and joyful Thanksgiving ceremony.
Indeed a lot of ceremony and pomp, although no blasting cannons.
Certainly whoever participated or watched this procession would remember the experience in a very profound way. Most likely the joy, the pomp, the music and all the other details would stay with the person for a long time, as they thought about the message of doing this Mitzvah with their first fruit, and not just waiting for the end of the season.
There are so many takeaways from this Mitzvah and the ceremony that accompanied it. Yet perhaps, it is also a reminder of the power of doing things right, of making Judaism engaging and joyful, of going the extra mile to do a Mitzvah or celebrate a Holiday in a joyous and detail oriented way.
Practically speaking, with all the holidays approaching us, we have an opportunity to create lasting meaningful and positive memories for our children and family. The extra details of how we make our holiday meals meaningful, special and tasty, along with celebrating and discussing the messages of each one, and of course the various traditions and customs of each one, help us collectively experience these holidays in a more profound way, and create memories and messages that will last a life time.
So while we won't have any blasting cannons at our Holidays, we can certainly honor them by making them special and unique for our families.
In doing so, the holidays and their enduring messages won't just last a brisket, instead they will last a lifetime.
G-d bless King Charles with being a good leader and us with being good leaders for our families and communities.
Good Shabbos / Shabbat Shalom
Yisroel