Like Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur was spent caring for sick kittens. YK morning, Steve had a bulbous, grotesque mass dangling from her eye that's been loaded with a bacterial infection. It was sickening. So, I played James Harriot, sterilised the tweezers, pulled out the plastic gloves and began doing a mini-surgery on the eye. Steve gave birth to a 1/2" long piece of infected mass. At it's widest point it was 1/4". I wish I could have taken a picture, but that would have been pushing the Yom Kippur rules out the window entirely. :] So here's a pic of this mornings results. It's still sick looking, but so much better than yesterday.
Anyway! I spent the day cleaning out the eyes of three kittens every two hours and adding antibiotic ointment, wiping noses, and making sure they had enough Vicks Vapour in the air to help them breathe. It was a rough day. Somewhere inbetween I got a wee bit of davening in, but most of my attention was on keeping the kittens alive and comfortable.
B"H this morning, everyone is looking great! Well, Jeff could look better, but then, he keeps spitting out his meds and hates eye ointment. Thus! He who refuses to suffer a little, suffers a lot. Stubborn little beastie.
That's rather been the theme of the yontifs this year. Suffering and healing. Rather describes our Jewish situation for how many years? The beginning of our existence, perhaps? Throughout the yontif I felt like we're alot like Jeff the kitten. We don't want to suffer, so we keep trying to take the easy way out thinking that's the answer. Unfortunately, the easy way out always leads to greater suffering when one is extremely ill and our people, if the way things are going in Israel is any example, are suffering from a terminal illness.
The easy way out is to give away Land. Surrender the Torah for the sake of peace. It doesn't work. It only leads to a greater suffering. Much like in a marriage. Countless times I listened to my former rabbi's wife say that if Torah is causing problems in your marriage, lay it aside for the sake of peace in the home. Peace is more important. Which also explains why her marriage is a stinking disaster and her husband cheats on her.
Anyway, to this day, I sit astounded. Torah is the foundation of a Jewish marriage. Throw out the Torah, you throw out Hashem. Throw out the Torah, you throw out your marriage. Foolish logic to say the least. But it's the same that's applied to the Land of Israel. Those who believe in sacrificing Torah for peace have forgotten that Torah is peace and it brings peace.
At the moment, our people's philosophy of peace is like the bulbous mass dangling from Steve's eye...a bloodied infected mass that's going to have to be cut out if our people are to survive, and just like Steve's cries - it's going to be painful. But in the end, there's healing. As I watch the kittens run with warp speed through the house, it's a happy healing full of joy that the suffering is over, but to get there it will take suffering.
May Hashem send Moshiach now and let's get it over with. :]
