LIFE IS A JOURNEY

Birth is a beginning

Death is a destination

And life is a journey

These are the words that begin a poem written nearly 40 years ago by Rabbi Alan Fine, Chicago, IL, that has been read prior to the Kaddish on Erev Yom Kippur since the mid-1970's. It is a poem with which I am so familiar, having borrowed it on many occasions that have nothing to do with Yom Kippur. The most recent of which was the memorial service of my dearest friend’s husband a month ago. He died two days before Erev Yom Kippur, and although neither of them were Jewish; I knew I had to share the poem with Jan. As I searched for it in the Machzor (High Holy Day prayer book), I finally located it immediately prior to the Kaddish prayer (I have copied it in its entirety at the end of this posting).

The next morning I went online, found the whole poem, printed it out and shared it with Jan. She read it and asked me to read it at the service that morning. So, on Yom Kippur morning, instead of sitting in shul praying, I was sitting in a condo community room that we had turned into a sacred space to celebrate the life of a man loved by all of those present. “Birth is a beginning, Death is a destination, And life is a journey…”

I write about our journeys as part of the interfaith experience because what else is this other than a journey through the lens of Judaism, our collective communities, and the faith communities of those whom we love? Our journeys began long ago—either as early as recorded history with the creation narratives, or with the story of Abraham and Sarah and their journey to the land of Ur, Abraham and Lot and their separate journeys, the Exodus from Egypt, or some other point in history to be the beginning of your journey. As you and your family move through your story and write the narrative that will become your history, consider how the decisions you make today about the place Judaism has in your life will affect the path you and your family travel.

Life is a journey

Birth is a beginning

Death is a destination

And life is a journey

and youth to age; 

From innocence to awareness 
and ignorance to knowing; 

From foolishness to desecration 
and then perhaps to wisdom. 

From weakness to strength or 
from strength to weakness 
and often back again; 

From health to sickness 
and we pray to health again. 

From offense to forgiveness 
from loneliness to love 

from joy to gratitude 
from pain to compassion 

from grief to understanding 
from fear to faith. 

From defeat to defeat to defeat 
until looking backwards or ahead 

We see that victory lies not 
at some high point along the way 

but in having made the journey 
step by step 
a sacred pilgrimage. 

Birth is a beginning 
and death a destination 

And life is a journey; 

A sacred journey to life everlasting. 

Wherever you go, may your journey be full of exciting adventures, memories, and peace.