BeDamaikh Hayi: In your blood, live!

As I watched live the final episode of “Kochav haba LeEurovision” and witnessed the elegant sensitivity with which they crafted this joyous occasion with the reiterated references to the last almost sixteen months that the hostages have been in captivity, I couldn’t avoid thinking of Naomi Shemer’s song “BeDamaikh Hayi”

The song says:

The ancient words give me strength.

In the ancient voices, I will find healing.

They help me live.

They help me flourish.

To create a more beautiful world.

And I will pass over you and see you, stumbling in your blood, and I will say to you,

“In your blood, live. “Live, Live, in your blood, live. I will tell you, “In your blood, live”.

And suddenly, above my head, a rainbow opens.

A colorful fan unfurls.

Heralding life,

Heralding hope and peace,

and tranquility and grace.

At the heart of this week’s Torah portion is the covenant, which connects to the profound and evocative phrase from Ezekiel that became part of the Brit Milah ceremony and that Naomi Shemer immortalized in her last song, “BeDamaikh Hayi” :

” וָאֶעֱבֹר עָלַיִיךְ וָאָרְאֵךְ מִתְבּוֹסֶסֶת בְּדָמָיִךְ וָאֹמַר לֲךְ בְּדָמָיִךְ חֲיי וָאֹמַר לֲךְ בְּדָמָיִךְ חֲיי – I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, and I said to you: ‘In your blood, live!’” (Ezekiel 16:6)

This powerful imagery invites us to reflect on the blood of the covenant—how it challenges us, shapes us, and redeems us.

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 17:3) interprets Ezekiel’s verse as referring to two specific mitzvot that symbolize the survival and redemption of the Jewish people: the Brit Milah and the Korban Pesah. It explains that when God says, “In your blood, live,” it refers to the blood of circumcision and the blood of the Paschal Lamb. These two acts, the rabbis teach, secured Israel’s redemption in Egypt and throughout history.

These two mitzvot seem different: one is a personal, lifelong mark of the covenant, while the other is a communal act tied to a specific moment. Yet, both involve the transformative power of blood—a symbol of soul, vulnerability, sacrifice, and life. The Brit Milah is the entry point into the covenant between God and the Jewish people. Circumcision is an everlasting sign of belonging to the covenantal community. It is a physical action that connects generations, linking every Jewish soul to the Divine and the people of Israel.

This covenant is not easy—it demands commitment. But through it, we affirm our role as partners with God. The Brit Milah is not just about identity; it is a reminder that being part of the Jewish people comes with responsibility and purpose. The Korban Pesah, offered in the story of the Exodus, represents the communal dimension of the covenant. The blood of the lamb, smeared on the doorposts of the Israelites’ homes, was a visible sign of faith and belonging. Only those who were circumcised could partake in the Paschal Lamb, as our Parashah explicitly states in Exodus 12:48: “No uncircumcised male may eat of it.

The Brit Milah and the Korban Pesah create a framework in which individual commitment and communal belonging are inseparable. Ezekiel’s words connect to the Exodus narrative, teaching that redemption from Egypt was not possible without these two mitzvot. At the moment of crisis, when the Israelites were on the brink of liberation, God required an act of covenantal faith, some proof of faith, of trust. The rabbis describe how some Israelites had neglected circumcision while enslaved in Egypt. Before leaving, they underwent Brit Milah so they could partake in the Korban Pesah. In this act, the people demonstrated their readiness to embrace the covenant fully.

Brit Milah then became a precondition for the Korban Pesah because redemption requires both personal and communal commitment. Through the blood of circumcision and the blood of the Paschal Lamb, the Jewish people secured their survival and redemption, thus the Midrash’s take on “in your blood, live.”

This brings us to the evocative words of Naomi Shemer that keep acquiring new meanings as the world and history keep advancing:

“The ancient words give me strength. In the ancient voices, I will find healing. They help me live, They help me grow, To create a more beautiful world.”

Shemer captures the essence of what the covenant is about. The ancient words and the covenantal relationship with the Divine remind us that even in moments of vulnerability—moments when we feel like we מתבוססים בדם, we are “wallowing in blood”—we can still find strength and hope.

We, as a people and as individuals, have been experiencing this kind of despair and sadness for too long now. There is no way to “un-live” what has happened in our lives and in the lives of our brethren who have been directly affected by the attacks, the murders, the rapes, the kidnappings, or those who sacrificed their lives in the battles for the defense and security of the State of Israel since last October. But Naomi Shemer’s imagery of a rainbow opening above our heads reminds us that these acts are the prelude of hope:

“Suddenly, above my head, a rainbow opens… heralding life, hope, peace, tranquility, and grace.”

I pray that every hostage will soon return. This is not over until all of them are home. In the meantime, may we find strength in the ancient words and voices, and may we soon live in a world where life, hope, peace, and grace can flourish.

Shabbat Shalom

____________

Rabbi Ḥazzan Luis Cattan

(AJR ’20) is currently serving at Sutton Place Synagogue in New York City. He is the Immediate Past President of the Cantors Assembly. As a native Uruguayan, he attended the Catholic University of Montevideo receiving his BA in Social Communication Sciences with a major in Advertising. He sought private instruction under the tutelage of renowned local teachers. Upon returning from Israel, where he spent a year studying, he started his Ḥazzanut training with different mentors in Uruguay and Argentina as well. He became the Head Ḥazzan at the NCI (the largest Conservative Synagogue in Uruguay). He also served as International Vice President of Mercaz Olami (Zionist Conservative Movement) as one of the founders of the Uruguayan Branch.