Every morning I look at the obituaries in the newspaper. The longer I live, the more people I know - and the more people I know who are listed in the obituaries. My perusals are not in the same spirit as the fabled member of my kibbutz, who was reputed to have worn the clothes of deceased members and to have moved to an apartment in the section of the kibbutz next to the cemetery "to get used to the neighborhood."
No, I am not thinking about what tomorrow will bring, but of what is today. A daily peek at the obituaries gives one a good perspective on the new day, and on life in general.
But why the obituaries, of all things? Surely it is sufficient for a man to awaken to the chirping of the birds, to kiss his wife and children, to be happy for the food in his home, for the roof over his head, for his livelihood and for the blessings of health. Of course, all that is true. But whereas reading the Politics section of the newspaper gives one that sinking feeling, and the Science and Technology page arouses one's admiration and awe, there is nothing like the Obituaries column to teach us a thing or two about humility. About the transience of life on earth. About the limitations of human strength.
There is no better example than the personality of Moses. Not for nothing is Moses called "the greatest of the Prophets." Not for nothing is it said of him, "There has never been in Israel another Prophet like Moses." Despite his greatness - or perhaps because of his greatness - Moses was the exemplar of modesty: "Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth." (Numbers 12:3)
There are those who say that awaiting us after life in this world is life in the World to Come. Since no-one has yet returned from the World to Come, there are two possibilities: 1. The World to Come is so enchanting that no-one wants to come back to this one, or 2. There is no World to Come. I am not capable of contributing to this age-old debate, but one thing is certain: None of us is here forever.
My good friend, the late Professor Art Naparstek, taught me a beautiful saying: "Today's peacock is tomorrow's feather duster". The weekly Torah portions of Acharei Mot ("After the death"), Kedoshim ("Holy"), and Emor ("Speak") follow one after the other, from which we may derive the oft-quoted custom of "not speaking ill of the dead." But sometimes circumstances make it difficult for us to follow the commandment to "Speak" only "Holy" "After the death."
I remember the death of a certain famous educator, a highly respected trailblazer in his field. He had many admirers around the world, but my opinion of him was irrevocably colored by an incident that took place at a well-attended conference. He was scheduled to give a lecture to a large audience that included a number of leaders of world Jewry, people who were thirsting to hear his words. Simultaneous translation had been arranged for the multi-national crowd, but there were serious technical problems and the famous man on the podium ended up publicly upbraiding the technician working the system.
Perhaps this was an uncontrollable outburst, perhaps the educator was not feeling well, perhaps he was having problems at home. I would like to believe there were extenuating circumstances, but nothing justified the public attack on the poor technician, the humiliating rebuke he gave him in front of the entire audience, and the arrogant and contemptuous attitude he displayed. Since that day I never again went to one of his lectures.
In the days before Passover, as the wild anemones and cyclamen are gradually supplanted by thorns and thistles, as the rich greens of winter that clad the scarred land so beautifully begin to yield to yellow and grey, it is the time to remember that summer, too, is fleeting, and at the right time in the yearly cycle it will cede its place to the approaching fall.
Happy Passover! March 2013 Sagi Melamed lives with his family in the community of Hoshaya in the Galilee. He serves as Vice President of External Affairs at the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, and as Chief Instructor (4th Dan) of the Hoshaya Karate Club. Sagi received his Masters degree from Harvard University in Middle Eastern Studies with a specialty in Conflict Resolution. His first book, "Benartzi" ("Son of My Land"), was published in 2012 by Achiasaf Publishing. He can be contacted at: melamed.sagi@gmail.com.
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The weekly Torah portions of Acharei Mot ("After the death"), Kedoshim ("Holy"), and Emor ("Speak") follow one after the other, from which we may derive the oft-quoted custom of "not speaking ill of the dead." But sometimes circumstances make it difficult for us to follow the commandment to "Speak" only "Holy" "After the death." 
