This week we remember Queen Elizabeth II. I’d like to share some of my memories of her.
During my time in Canada, the Commonwealth, I had the honor to be in her esteemed presence.
The year was 2005 and the province of Alberta was celebrating its centenary. To mark the occasion, there was a royal visit. Local leaders were invited to a special dinner with the queen, and nine months pregnant, I was privileged to be on the guest list. While there were admittedly 1,000 people in the room, my husband and I were blessed with being seated a mere two tables away from the queen. It goes without saying that we made sure to reply that we required kosher meals, and the government made arrangements with Chef Eddie from our shul. Eddie was given the menu and instructed to reproduce it.
The big evening arrived, and we were presented with our meals, delivered to our table direct from the kosher kitchen by Eddie himself. Amazingly, Eddie was able to get the kosher meals to match precisely with the non-kosher dishes. There was just one small issue: Our portions were twice as large as everyone else’s!
As Divine providence would have it, my mother was in town in anticipation of our daughter Joey’s imminent birth. As a European, she was particularly enamored by the notion of royalty. She gladly agreed to be on call and take my place at the dinner in case Joey decided to arrive earlier than expected.
She had a backup plan herself when she learned of the queen’s plans to hold a procession through the city. She made sure to get there early to secure a spot along the road where she would be able to catch a glimpse of the queen.
But alas, she really didn’t need to arrive so far in advance. A little bit of rain, and most Edmontonians had chosen to stay home. My mom stood there on Jasper Avenue with a few dozen others who had braved the elements, and had the opportunity of a lifetime to greet the queen personally, and when the Royal Alberta Museum was officially named in her honor.
Our Sages offer a parable for the current month of Elul, leading up to the New Year. Throughout the year, the monarch sits upon her throne inside the palace. For the average person, it’s almost impossible to get an audience with her. It takes months to get an appointment and if she agrees to see you, you can spend half a day just going through security to enter the inner chamber. Once a year, however, the queen leaves the palace and travels around the country greeting her subjects.
Likewise, it’s not impossible to talk to the Supreme King of kings throughout the year. But it takes much greater effort. He always accepts our teshuva, but most of us won’t do what it takes to jump through the hoops needed. During the month of Elul, however, the King is in the field, and ready to greet anyone who goes out to see Him. All you need to do is show up and all your sins will be forgiven. During this time we have the opportunity to increase our mitzvahs.
As Hashem steps out of His palace for us, let us step out of our palace to help others. September is Hunger Action Awareness month. To get involved, be in touch with our team at Jewish Federation North New Jersey.
Rabbanit Batya Friedman, MBA, has an extraordinary ability to transcend denominational differences and bring people of all backgrounds together for the greater good. She is passionate about Israel and Am Yisrael. She is excited to serve the Jewish community of Northern New Jersey. She is married to Rabbi Dr. Daniel (author of “The Transformative Daf”). They have five daughters and currently reside in Teaneck.
