Psalm 137:1-4
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yes, we wept when we remembered Zion. On the willows in it, we hung up our harps. For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs. Those who plundered us demanded gladness, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?”
This psalm is a lament from the Jewish people living in exile in Babylon, after Jerusalem and its Temple were destroyed and they were forcibly removed from their homeland. It captures their deep sorrow, sense of loss, and the pain of being asked to perform their sacred traditions for their captors.
How do we hold onto our identity and sacred practices when our familiar world is taken from us?