Lessons from a Waning Moon

/ howardshapiro

I woke early this morning, technically it was morning but my body and the world outside my windows said it was still the middle of the night. I did everything I knew how to fall back asleep, but nothing worked and here I am in the office reading the newest Dan Silva book, “The Order”. It is too good to help me fall back asleep as Gabriel Allon eats in wonderful cafes and hunts down those who would destroy the world we know.

And then it was dawn. I didn’t even know it till I looked up and saw what you see. There is the tiniest sliver of an ancient moon peeking through the night sky. I said, OMG, it must be Elul – the month of preparation before the New Year. But I was wrong. It wasn’t the beginning of a new month, but the end of an old. The Hebrew month of Av was waning, and the moon was kissing it goodbye.

I know that reads like poor poetry and I apologize. But I need to somehow make sense of what is happening to us all. When Elul comes in just a few days, I know that nothing will change. We will still be social distancing; we will still be counting our afflicted and our dead. The pandemic of 2020 will still be with us. We will still be struggling with how we stay safe; how we keep our family safe. And too many of us: how can I pay the rent; buy food; get a paycheck.

And our elected representatives play Nero’s violin. And Rome burns. And we are victims of an almost criminal neglect for our county’s safety and well-being. And I despair. Then I remember Elul is coming. There will be a new moon. There will be a glimmer of hope. It’s not just the turning of the earth and night becoming day. I am genuinely psyched by the addition of Harris to the Biden ticket. Naïve? Perhaps. But my Judaism teaches change can happen. We are obligated to make it happen and we need to know it begins with us.

The silver of the moon is gone, caught by the rising sun. But it will return along with sanity at least I hope it so; I pray it so.

17 thoughts on “Lessons from a Waning Moon”

  3. Thank you again for giving meaning to my feelings. I too saw the sliver of the moon this morning walking the dog. I wondered what it meant. We too are excited by the Biden Harris ticket. I hope that good wins over what I can’t give a name to.
    Thank you,
    Maureen

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  6. May You be BLESSED.Your writing is so very meaningful and gives us hope for better times to come.I am so greatly honored to be your Friend.With Best Regards,respectfully,Norman Frajman.

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  12. I’m glad I waited to read the essay until this morning when waking up at the crack of dawn resonated with me!
    Stay safe and love to Eileen
    -Marcy

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