A hesped for our dearly beloved Bracha Schwartz that was spoken at her levaya by Sarah Yehudit Schneider

1. ‫בס"ד‬
A Hesped for Brucha At
As Spoken by Sarah Yehudit at her Levaya
We’re moving toward Tu b’Shvat—
the time when we think about the
fruits we eat and whether their
klipot are inside or outside and we
arrange them in their spiritual
hierarchy based on those details.
But it is also possible to look at an
even bigger picture, from the
perspective of the giant/cosmic
Tree of Life (‫חיים‬ ‫)עץ‬ that stands at
the garden’s center (‫)באמצעה‬ and
whose network of branches
provides spiritual nurture to every
single creature in the universe. We all have a stalk that connects to a branch that
connects to the trunk that draws from the roots of this Cosmic Tree.
And the Shekhina is its gardener. Every day she plucks its ripened crop.
Every spark (including our very own soul) will eventually mature into a fully
mellowed fruit whose final (and coveted) milestone is to be eaten with delight by
the holy Shekhina. A spark must labor lifetimes to be worthy of this privilege.
The Shekhina only dines on fruits that are edible through and through. In the
course of its “growing season” (ie our series of incarnations) the spark must
dissolve all barriers to the light—both skins without and kernels within. By the
Shekhina’s standards, an edible fruit is an enlightened fruit—whose boundaries
are transparent, whose kernals of potential have been fully actualized, and
whose will always aligns with spiritual law.
And that brings us to our (and my) dear and beloved Bracha who certainly
was/is an enlightened fruit with a heart of flesh and a generosity of spirit that
was truly stunning. Bracha’s capacity for love was off the charts. Her love of her
children and Shalom and moshav folks goes without saying, but her circle of
dearly beloveds was so wide. It spanned the globe and included every kingdom
(human animal plant mineral-ceremic). The last conversation I had with bracha
on Wed we spoke about (what the highway department called the “weeds” but
which she recognized as the magical healing herbs) behind her house. And so
she spoke of the pain she felt when he highway department slashed away a strip
of growth bordering the road because of its fire hazard. Bracha had a personal
relationship with those herbs and so for her, it was like a massacre.

2. -2-
There’s no time for all the anecdotes of Bracha’s caring acts toward the
folks and staff in the hospital during these months. Besides, everyone has their
personal experiences with this Bracha’s loving generosity.
I have to say that, for me, the most distinguishing quality of Bracha was
her lovable-ness. I don’t know how to describe it. I mean, we’re all lovable, but
for me Bracha was/is the epitome, the archetype (the merkava) of lovability. I felt
like I wanted to just pinch her cheeks whenever I saw her.
Bracha lived a noble, righteous, G-d-centered life that should make her
parents proud. The mark she left on the universe—her bequeathal of goodness
and beauty and love is beyond measure. My life is tangibly and profoundly
enriched by knowing Bracha. I’m sure the Shekhina understands what a rare and
special fruit she has plucked from the world today.