We all build walls to protect ourselves, but those same walls can leave us feeling isolated and alone, cut off from the sense of purpose and connection that gives life meaning. The revelation at Sinai showed us a profound way to break through that isolation.
When Hashem said “Anochi Hashem Elokecha,” He was inviting us into an intimate witnessing of His very essence. Chazal teach that “Anochi” is an acronym for “I have written My Self and given it to you.” With each utterance, we became one collective soul, bound eternally to G-d and each other – “ke’ish echad beleiv echad” – one being with one heart.
Just as Hashem opened Himself to be witnessed, we too have the sacred capacity to truly be there for each other. We can create space to hold another’s story – their struggles and their greatness – even if we can never fully understand.
This act of witnessing is vital amidst grief and loss. When we let our walls down and make room for the mourner to share memories, we breathe life into their pain. We embody nechama, true comfort. In that openness, no one suffers alone.
Each day of the Omer that we count is a chance to break down another wall, experiencing ourselves and others more fully within the unity of Klal Yisrael, seeing our own Anochi and that of others as extensions of Hashem’s essence. Let us courageously shed barriers, sharing our deepest selves. Let us tap Sinai’s power by bearing radical witness to the full breadth of human experience in our fellow Jews.
