אֵפֶר שֶׁמֶן שָׂשׂוֹן תַּחַת אֵבֶל
To grant them glory (pe'er from the root p.'.r.) in place of ashes ('epher from the root '.p.r.).
Isaiah 61.3.
וְרַפֹּא יְרַפֵּא
And he shall provide healing (ve-rappo' yerappe' from the root r.p.'.)
Exodus 21.19.
Three elements are expressed with permutation of the Hebrew letters aleph, peh, and resh: ashes, expressive of mourning and devastation ('.p.r.); glory, often symbolized by a crown upon one's head (p.'.r.); and healing (r.p.'.).
During the very week leading up to the reading of the portion of "Bo'" in which we learn of the obligation to set a sign upon your arm and an ornament between your eyes (Exodus 13.16)--what is known in Jewish tradition as the commandment to wear tefillin (phylacteries), three events were in the news:
- the suffering of the Haitian people -- ashes.
- foreign medical personnel in Haiti, Israelis numbered prominently among them -- healing
- a young Jewish man suspected of being a terrorist for wearing tefillin--glory.
A classical Jewish response to the world is to show kindness to others (expressed in healing) to those suffering (expressed by ashes) and simultaneously to demonstrate our love for God (expressed in tefillin).
-- H. A. Massig