Tehilla R. Goldberg

Rachamana . . . The Merciful One. I was at the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, one among tens of thousands standing for midnight penitential Selichot prayers.

What a magical night. A night to celebrate America 250 publicly, with the sacred twist of celebrating this national milestone in the holy city of Jerusalem. This grand event was hosted by the US embassy, the Honorable Ambassador Mike Huckabee and his gracious wife Janet.

As the sacred days of Rosh Hashanah approach, there’s a perceptible change in the air. Once the Jerusalem breeze begins lingering, I can almost smell the approaching Days of Awe. Snippets of the selichot penitential prayers and the wail of the shofar are carried by this breeze.

This year, the 25th anniversary of 9/11 converges with the onset of Rosh Hashanah.What are the odds that marking 25 years, a quarter of a century — a number considered symbolic in marking a generation, and in America’s 250th anniversary year to boot — Rosh Hashanah and 9/11 would be interwoven.

I made a terrible mistake. Since I won’t be there with them on their first day of school, in my desire to try to be part of this milestone in absentia, I wanted to leave my neighbors’ elementary school age boys a little first day of school package and cards.