One of the things I learned this year is that the traditional Jewish condolence upon hearing of a person’s passing is “May Their Memory Be A Blessing” which I think is an interesting and beautiful contrast to the more common “Rest in Peace.”

Neither is bad but they have very different focuses.

Rest In Peace is focused on the person who has left the mortal realm. It recognizes that life is rarely peaceful, and that we struggle and work until death’s grip ends that turmoil.

(A darker and wholly unintended interpretation is wanting the person who has died to remain in the friggin’ ground. No Vampirism for you.)

May Their Memory Be A Blessing is centered on the effect the deceased had on the world around them and the friends and loved ones grieving the loss. It speaks to the hope that while life is often red in tooth and claw, we each have the capability to make life better for others. To be the blessing that this tired world so desperately needs. It points us not only towards the blessing the person may have left for others but also the blessings we may still give before out time comes.

I am so enriched to have learned this tiny fragment of another culture this year.