טוֹבִ֥ים הַשְּׁנַ֖יִם מִן־הָאֶחָ֑ד אֲשֶׁ֧ר יֵשׁ־לָהֶ֛ם שָׂכָ֥ר ט֖וֹב בַּעֲמָלָֽם׃ כִּ֣י אִם־יִפֹּ֔לוּ הָאֶחָ֖ד יָקִ֣ים אֶת־חֲבֵר֑וֹ וְאִ֣יל֗וֹ הָֽאֶחָד֙ שֶׁיִּפּ֔וֹל וְאֵ֥ין שֵׁנִ֖י לַהֲקִימֽוֹ׃
“Two are better than one, for the reward is greater when they are together. For if they should fall, one can lift up the other; truly sad is the one who falls with no companion there to lift them up!”
— Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Sometimes, life offers us special opportunities to make sacred connections with a fellow human being. You meet someone—at school, at temple, at work, through a mutual acquaintance, via meet-cute, by sheer luck—and you are forever changed because they are in your life. They share happy memories with you, and more importantly—as Eccelsiastes teaches—a true friend is there to pick you up when you fall.
I met my dear friend Sam during our first year of rabbinical and cantorial school in Jerusalem. Sam is one of those people who simply sparkles—smart, hilarious, and wholly warm-hearted. We’ve shared meals and workouts and study sessions together, marked graduations and ordinations side-by-side, witnessed the birth of our children, and grieved the loss of grandparents alongside one another. Even though we don’t live in the same city, we both make an effort to keep our connection strong.
This week, Sam texted me and shared a series of difficult moments: the stress brought on by the hostage situation at the synagogue in Texas, the sadness over the recent death of a family member, and the challenges of recovering from illness and returning to work after maternity leave—a slew of simultaneous tough moments adding up to one awful morning. Instead of drowning in sorrow and worry, though, she picked up her phone to connect with me—a dear friend who wished for nothing but to cheer her mood and lift her spirit, like those ancient companions in Ecclesiastes. It wasn’t the same as being able to laugh together or reach out for a hug or dance or share a meal, but there was great and—I daresay, even holy—power in our connection, in our sharing, in our lifting up of one another.
Today, how might you lift up a friend, a colleague, a spouse, a parent, a child, a loved one? Send the text, pick up the phone to call, bring the meal, make time for the visit. Truly, as our tradition teaches, the reward is great when one friend can hearten another.
— Cantor Emma Lutz