Rabbi Wendy I. Zierler on Grief, Hebrew Poetry, and Finding Faith Through Loss

Navigating Profound Grief

• 💔 The book "Going Out with Knots" is a grief memoir detailing the author's experience of losing both parents within eleven months.
• 🚗 The father's death was sudden, caused by a distracted truck driver, while the mother's death was a chosen termination of dialysis after her health declined.
• 🗓️ This profound loss occurred just six weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic, adding a layer of isolation to the grieving process.

Finding Solace in Hebrew Poetry

• 📖 To cope with the daily recitation of Kaddish and the isolation of the pandemic, Rabbi Zierler turned to modern Hebrew poetry.
• ✍️ She selected a different poem each week, translated it, and taught it, connecting its themes to grief, prayer, and contemporary issues.
• 🗣️ This practice evolved into weekly essays written for those unable to attend synagogue during the COVID shutdown, forming the basis of her book.

Reconciling Faith and Feminism in Liturgy

• 🕍 As a professor of Hebrew literature and a modern Orthodox rabbi, Zierler grappled with finding her place in a male-centered Jewish liturgy.
• 🚫 She notes that women's voices are traditionally not represented in the prayer book, prompting her to seek ways to incorporate them.
• 💡 The book explores how modern literature, including poetry by women, can serve as a source of spiritual strength and expand the canon of Jewish texts.

The Meaning Behind "Going Out with Knots"

• 🔗 The title is a metaphor for staying connected to tradition, community, and loved ones amidst loss and isolation.
• 🪢 It stems from a Talmudic discussion about a father tying a knot in his son's shoe as a reminder, symbolizing connection and quelling longing.
• ❓ Zierler reinterprets this, arguing that daughters also deeply miss their fathers, and the book is about embracing these connections, even with imperfections.

A Rabbi's Journey and Interfaith Dialogue

• 📚 Zierler, from a rabbinic family, initially pursued a career as a writer, earning a PhD in comparative literature.
• 🎓 She later received rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva Maharat, an institution that ordains women in the Orthodox tradition.
• 🎬 Her previous book, "Movies in Midrash," explores religious conversations through the lens of film and television, with a sequel, "TV and Torah," forthcoming.

Core Jewish Values in Troubled Times

• 🤝 Zierler emphasizes the importance of concern for the stranger as a central tenet of Judaism, especially during times of conflict and war.
• 🕊️ She advocates for doubling down on core missions of love and empathy, even while acknowledging the complexities and potential for hardening in protracted conflicts.
• 🧠 The book offers imaginative tools and prisms through which to view grief and disconnection, finding new insights and spiritual strength.