The Look

B"H, 

Have We Forgotten Our Purpose?

"She'll never walk until she bears weight and she won't bear weight until she walks.  So, I have a present for Rachel", said the physical therapist.  Out comes the smallest, most glittered walker I ever saw.  Rachel's eyes opened wide as her lips formed the astonished "oh" and her hands reached out to the sparkly thing.  The work begins.

Big open spaces gave way to miracles.  With her pink, glitzy walker that stood knee high to me, not only could my Rachel walk, she could gallop, and run with glee.  She loved going to synagogue on Shabbos*.  Following the rabbi up and down the main aisle during the Torah service added to everyone's pleasure.  Rabbi shook every man's hand. Rachel shook almost everyone's hand.  In fact, Rachel skipped the same old guy every time.  It did not matter where he sat, she avoided that fellow.  Congregants noticed.  The rabbi noticed.  I was too busy keeping vigil with her to notice that she was always short one Shabbos hand-shake.  

"Children and animals, they really know how to judge character.  If you had to skip one person, Rachel picked the right one.  Vas fur a ferbissene neshumah*!"  (Yiddish* for "What a bitter soul!")

We were relatively new to this community.  Never before had I heard an entire congregation agree out loud and in public on a matter of "lashon haRah*", speaking ill of another.  It was shocking.  

In the quiet of our home I spoke to my Rachel.  "Rabbi shakes everyone's hand.  If you are following him then I would expect you to do the same but you don't.  You always skip the same old man no matter where he sits.  Why?"  Rachel peered at me silently while her face transformed to knowing wisdom, a look I had seen on her face only once before in her entire life. "Oh, Mommy, too much pain there!  He no need me".  That said, the face of Down Syndrome returned to my child. 

Oh, the people we shun... 


*Glossary: 


Shabbos - Sabbath day in Ashkenazi-accented Hebrew.
Yiddish: vernacular language of the Jews of Eastern Europe.
Neshumah - soul
Lashon haRah - speaking ill of another