When my mother called me yesterday to share the news that Queen Elizabeth II had died, she was very emotional, shaken and sad. My mother, who is, God willing, hoping to have a second Bat Mitzvah next year at 83 years old, was 12 when Elizabeth was crowned as queen! Three generations have known no other monarch in the United Kingdom and I, along with millions and millions around the world, feel very moved by this loss.
Synagogues across the globe on Shabbat morning include some version of a prayer for the host country, a tradition which goes back thousands of years to Ezra exiled in Babylon. In The Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Synagogue in Britain (Modern Orthodox), this prayer begins: He who gives salvation to kings and dominion to princes, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, may He bless our sovereign lady Queen Elizabeth and all the Royal Family. This prayer in most congregations across the denominations, includes some mention of the Royal Family and many mention the queen by name. I grew up with the queen as part of my experience of synagogue services every time I was in sysnagogue. The traditional declaration that was said yesterday was “The Queen is dead. Long live the King!” Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles became King Charles III immediately after his mother’s death was announced by Buckingham Palace. Does this mean that some congregations in the UK are going to say 'God bless King Charles' tomorrow?
It just seems so strange, surreal and sudden to me, with so many memories of the queen throughout my life as mother and grandmother to the nation; the ritual of watching the Queen’s Speech in the afternoon of Christmas Day, the changing of the guard, the royal weddings and funerals and so much more. Whatever anyone’s view of the monarchy and this royal family in particular, with so much pain and scandal in recent years, and the inevitable criticism of this ancient, English institution, the queen herself has been the most incredible figurehead and public servant for seven decades and has an extraordinary legacy. The outpouring of love and sympathy from leaders around the world is quite beautiful. At the beginning of the week, the queen fulfilled her duties of bidding farewell to one prime minister and welcoming in the new one, Liz Truss, with grace, dignity, honor and wit. She died just two days later. It really is the end of an era and it is not clear what the future of the monarchy is now.
“The Queen is dead. Long live the King” seems like a harsh, sudden and insensitive statement of continuity and moving on too quickly, perhaps denying space for grief and mourning for the Royal Family and, really, for the world. It is part of the fabric of British tradition and ritual that actually has tremendous depth and even spirituality. A monarch is seen in Judaism as a human representative of God and in other cultures and religions too. The queen has also been the head of the Church of England and much of the royal ritual is religious and even Kabbalisitc and mystical in its origins, full of powerful symbolism - crowns, thrones and sceptres. The queen’s family is in a long period of mourning and as her body lies in state, millions of Britons and tourists will come and pay their last respects to her and there will be many tears flowing. The traditional greeting in the Jewish community in the UK for mourners sitting shiva or observing a yahrzeit is “I wish you long life!” The queen, of course, had a very long life - 96 years, 70 of which were on the throne and we do wish long life to King Charles and the family and to all who mourn, and we say “zichrona livracha - may the memory of Queen Elizabeth II be for a blessing!”
Every Shabbat, we embody and personify the unique, sacred seventh day as Shabbat HaMalkah, the Sabbath Queen. As we enter this Shabbat where read Ki Teze, the parsha with more mitzvot than any other section of the Torah (74 in total!) may we embrace the Shabbat Queen and honor the presence and memory of Queen Elizabeth with a commitment to perform mitzvot for the public good and welfare of all. May her memory be a blessing and an inspiration for us all.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Marc
PS - join us for a full moon hike on Sunday night, selichot services and more
Details on our website
