Work Text:
Image description: Kendra, wearing a purple shirt, sits in synagogue alongside an older lady wearing a white shirt, a white prayer shawl with blue detailing, and a white kippah.
In a small purple speech bubble pointing to Kendra is white Hebrew text saying "Kizavti. Latzti." [I have deceived. I have mocked.]
In a larger white speech bubble pointing to the older lady is blue text saying, "No, sweetie. Kizavnu. Latznu." [We have deceived. We have mocked.]
Phyllis liked to think she knew the faces of her congregation well, even those who only showed up on the High Holy Days. So when a woman she didn’t recognize came into the pew during the short confessional, her first thought was that it was someone from out of town using a reciprocal ticket. After all, the woman was wearing a perfectly acceptable outfit, so she must be familiar with synagogue decorum. (Not like the Gentile girls who showed up to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in such skimpy clothes – why didn’t anyone warn them that synagogues were usually freezing?)
But then Phyllis realized that the woman was staring around in bewilderment, as if every Hebrew syllable was brand-new to her. This seemed very odd to Phyllis – surely all synagogues did this part in Hebrew, since it was so short and to-the-point. The woman’s bewilderment only seemed to grow after a quick glance at the prayerbook. Could she be completely new to the High Holy Days?
Phyllis couldn’t bear to see someone so confused during something so important, so she smiled her best smile and explained, “These are the prayers of confession. We’re saying how we’ve sinned. We have trespassed; we have betrayed.”
The woman echoed her words, but they weren’t quite right. “I have trespassed; I have betrayed.”
Phyllis tried again. “We have deceived; we have mocked.”
The woman, whose eyes were welling up with tears, still wasn’t quite right in her words. “I have deceived; I have mocked.”
Phyllis took the woman’s hand gently. “No, sweetie. We. We have.”
“We,” the poor woman said, sounding like she was about to cry. Phyllis sometimes felt that way about this day, too.
As the service progressed, Phyllis noticed the woman looking at her prayerbook very intently, like a student in a 101 class. She made no effort to say anything in Hebrew, but did appear much calmer.
Oh, how Phyllis wished today included a Kiddush so she could introduce herself and get the long story with all the juicy details! But Break Fast was reservation-only this year after almost running out of food the year before. So Phyllis forced herself to not press further. Instead, during the silent Amidah, she asked G-d to help the woman however she needed it.