39 days of Omer 5780: Eternal Bonding, Netzach of Yesod

Today is thirty-nine days, which is five weeks and four days of the Omer in the year 5780. נצח שביסוד, Netzach ShebeYesod, Eternal Bonding.

Eternal Family Bonds

I joined my mom on a cousins’ Zoom call. Everyone on the call was related to my maternal grandfather and his many siblings. Papa Jack Margolis was the most important man in my life throughout our time together. My bond with him is so deep that I named my first-born in his honor.

It was such a weird thing. I do not recall ever meeting, in person, any of the people on the call. And yet, I am sure we were together because we all had fond memories of deli food and swimming at the same aunt and uncle’s house. They had the coolest house, with an open floor plan and dolphins carved into the bottom of their pool. It was magical.

I wish I could give my kids a summer full of swimming with their cousins.

Eternal Intellectual Bonds

I had my last history class today. It was supposed to be a day of reflection on a year of learning from the inimitable Dr. Bob Levy with Bob.

Unfortunately, it had to be time to reflect without Bob. He passed away completely unexpectedly and we are among the last people who had the honor of being his students. I cannot tell you how many books he referenced over the last year and said, “You have to have this.” Over time, I stopped writing down the names — afraid of tempting myself into even more overflowing shelves. But today, I had to buy some of them. If Bob thought they were important, then I need them on my shelves. (I ordered them used via Abebooks, along with a few Kindle samples. I will share Amazon links below.)

Eternal Spiritual Bonds

Our souls are intertwined with one another, whether by blood or by spirit. Bob’s love for all the strange corners of Jewish civilization. Papa Jack’s love for his mother and his eight siblings. Together, we are bound towards healing and wholeness. May we never forget our common humanity, our common origin, and our common conclusion.