by Richard Epstein (Washington, DC)
It was just before the high holy days.
My brother traveled from Hawaii to the east coast
to spend the holidays attending my father’s shul.
He was invited to have lunch with an orthodox family,
members of a local Chabad.
I found the location of the house and decided
to surprise him. I knocked on the door, entered
the house, and asked for my brother by name.
I was not dressed as an orthodox Jew.
Nor was my brother. No beard, no white shirt,
no black fedora, no black jacket, no tzitzits.
“Jack! Is this your brother?” I heard someone call out.
“Yes… T’shuvah!” my brother announced with a sly smile.
We greet with a hug. I’m vaguely familiar with the word.
Like a password: it explains my appearance, my presence.
Ahhh, T’shuvah! They shouted the word as if it was a toast;
their faces alive with smiles
Richard Epstein, a long-time resident of the Washington, DC area, was brought up in the Orthodox and Conservative temples of Scranton, PA. He has also spent some time as a student of Buddhism. Richard often examines and questions his religion through poetry. He has been a featured reader at the Silver Spring Civic Center, Kensington Day of the Book festival, Philadelphia Ethical Society, U.S. Navy Memorial, The Vietnam Woman’s Memorial, the Memorial Day Writers Project, and Walter Reed National Medical Center. He is the editor of two veteran anthologies and his poetry has appeared in The Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Jewish Writing Project, Poetica, and others.
Author’s Note: T’shuvah — One who returns. Being that all definitions are inadequate, t’shuvah involves repentance.
The Jewish Writing Project 