Omer 2025 Day 31

Day 30 | Day 32

Day 31: Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer
Tiferet in Hod, Beauty/Balance in Glory/Humility

Here I Am was published in 2016, but I didn't read it until last year, and I honestly don't know how it would have felt to read it before October 7. He perfectly captures the relationship between Israel and the Diaspora and the larger politics of the world. But setting aside the fictional, but realistic geopolitical backdrop of the story, it is an intimate and thoughtful look at a family that is slowly falling apart. It asks us all to examine how our own insecurities hold us back from maintaining connections with the ones we love, and how relationships grow and change. It asks how we balance our responsibilities and how we hold the different pieces of ourselves together. In doing all that, Here I Am shows us the beauty in the messy chaos of life. It shows us redemption in humility and the resilience of love, even as it changes. 

It's a great book, but be warned, it's not one to listen to in the car with your kids!