The Gum Song

Newsletter January 8, 2024 Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

Have you ever gleefully sung a song one way only to later find out that the lyrics were, in fact, completely different than what you had been singing? 

At my grandparents’ temple, every service began with the rabbis processing into the sanctuary while the congregants sang what I, as a young child, called, “the gum song.”  You may know it as “Hinei Ma Tov,” but the full lyrics are Hinei Ma Tov U’ma Na’im, Shevet Achim GAM Yachad  Translated, it means, How good and how pleasant it is when we dwell together as one. Only, I would pronounce “gam” as “gum.” On some level perhaps I was intuiting the true meaning of the song- because gum is sticky, and that song praises the beauty of gathering together. 

This past winter break Melissa and the kids and I travelled to Miami. Though I had never been there before, I was able to gather with many people- some of the gatherings were intentional, some planned by others, and some happened serendipitously. 

The world works like that sometimes, right?

We went to Miami in the first place to spend some quality time with the man who helped Melissa and I have our children who is a dear friend and someone the kids call “abba.” At the oneg, I bumped into a rabbinic colleague who is the head of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (who lives in NY!). And, the Union for Reform Judaism representative who worked with our community to set up our code of ethics recognized me as well, and joyfully came over and introduced herself, too.  

Randomly, our KITS Digital Marketing Manager, Molly Flanagan, also happened to be in town so we finally met after having worked together since KITS was incorporated. (It was surreal to share a meal together!)

Many of you know that my grandma, Fruma “Kit” Endler, z”ll, for whom our community, KITS community, is named, died at the age of 100 in 2020. But, her cousins are alive and well in South Florida, so we arranged a mini family reunion there. And after several members invited others, a total of 13 cousins gathered there!

Truly, Hinei Ma Tov UMa Naim Shevet Achim GUM Yachad!

And then, as I was leaving reflecting on all the gathering I got to do, I saw the literal writing on the wall. In the Miami airport, there is an art installation that says, in big bold letters made of flowers, “TOGETHER.”  (See photo above). 

On the plane flight back, I had two thoughts. One, sadness that the time of the pandemic kept us for so long from gathering together (and truthfully we still need to be very careful). But also joy that our community gathers a lot more than we might normally gather because of the power of online gathering. To gather without the barrier of travel time, or geographic distance. We have found ways to gather together bigger and more far-reaching than we ever would have been able to before. For this I am grateful. 

And the rabbis who incorporated the Hinei Ma Tov into the liturgy never wanted us to take gathering together for granted. 

I will always appreciate gathering with loved ones and old friends and new friends in whatever way the gum-like stickiness of the universe brings us together. And I hope to get to gather with you again soon!

When we notice and appreciate one another’s’ company, we are keeping it sacred.  

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

---

The above is an excerpt from a Keeping It Sacred newsletter. If you want to read the entire newsletter or any from our archives, please head over to: keepingitsacred.com/news 

And if you'd like the newsletter delivered to your inbox every week, please share your name and email address in the fields at the bottom of the page in the purple boxes.

Thanks for your interest, and thanks for #keepingitsacred...