Paul Celan

The severe mourning period after Shiva – the week following the death of a loved one – is Sh'loshim – thirty days. What shall we do thirty years after the death of one of the greatest Jewish poets of our century? He entered death freely, walking into the Seine and letting the dark waters carry him into the time beyond time; yet he remains one of the great gifts of the past century for us who are aware of the inheritance which is passed on to us by the poets and prophets of our people.