|
B"H
Parshat HaChodesh, March 21, 2020
Lessons for Post-Corona
Vayakhel Moshe et kal adat Bnei Yisrael - And Moses assembled the entire nation of Israel. How ironic that this week’s Torah portion speaks about all of Israel being gathered together and united while we are in the midst of a mass separation. Perhaps the important message in these difficult days is that togetherness doesn’t necessarily require physical closeness and proximity. People can actually get closer from a distance. Although a religious person’s pursuit in life is to get closer to God, they are fully cognizant that in a physical sense this can never be achieved. Since the shul closing I started using Zoom to give lectures and classes and it resulted in more people attending online than previously attended in person. I always wondered how Moses was able to transmit the Ten Commandments to three million people without a microphone. Perhaps he, too, had some form of enhanced communication. Seriously, the strength of our family and community is revealed by how well we cope with stress and difficulties. Thank God, from what I am seeing, we are doing amazingly well.
Life is taking some unfamiliar twists and turns and it may take some time to adapt to this new reality. It also may be prudent to address and modify some long held positions and views. I hope that life will soon return back to ‘normal,’ but the coronavirus experience must alert us to questionable behaviors. Going forward, I am confident there will be a number of changes in the way we do things. I remember, as a boy, visiting the pickle man on the Lower East Side (The ABC streets for those people under 40). The barrels of pickles were in front of the counter and everyone helped themselves. There were no gloves, and while tongs were an option, most for most kids my age (I’m embarrassed to admit) fingers were usually the utensil of choice. Fast forward to the era of the buffet restaurant; where gastronomical excellence was sacrificed for gluttony and over indulgence. The time when people forgot about those starving in Biafra and filled their plates without consideration of human contamination or health issues. In the aftermath of Corona, most people will have a newfound reverence for hygiene. I imagine the buffet table will disappear and be relegated to the regrettable history when chicken shmaltz and chopped liver were considered delicacies.
The time has come for some nonsensical practices to be laid to rest. I have been inundated with questions about ritual and non ritual practices. I have one rule of thumb which seems obvious to me but challenges the religious mindset of others. I believe Hashem, who obligates us to do mitzvot when we are able to, obligates us to refrain from doing those same mitzvot when they can be injurious to our health. Interestingly, the word Kadosh which is usually translated as holiness, literally means “separate.” Today, the greatest level of holiness can and should be attained through separation and isolation. Indeed, the purest form of prayer was being in solitude with Hashem. The concept of a minyan or a quorum only evolved due to our inability to reach spiritual height alone. However, the preferred practice of our patriarchs and matriarchs was hitboddedus or being in one with Hashem. Let’s use this sacred time to regain what we have lost. Our prayers may be lacking Kaddish but it doesn’t have to lack Kedushah - the essence of holiness.
I'm confident that most people question the veracity of what they read and I sincerely hope this story is not accurate. It was reported on TheYeshivaWorld.com that a Satmar school in Williamsburg intends to take their students on a trip to a fun park this coming Tuesday. Yes, in the midst of a worldwide shutdown and mandatory school closures they have decided to ignore what’s happening and take their students on a trip. In this instance, I would be shocked if this wasn’t fake news but a systemic dismissive attitude of many very observant people is unfortunately a truism. Similarly, a rabbinic sage in Israel ruled that regardless of the hazards of the coronavirus, all Yeshivot should remain open as the Torah studied by children is more beneficial in battling the coronavirus than isolation. It is because I respect great sages that I’m certain they are being fed faulty information by disingenuous individuals. I’m confident that if they knew the potential hazard to thousands of children and their families their ruling would have been vastly different. But nonetheless thousands upon thousands of people are relinquishing personal responsibility and heeding the words of the rabbi. U’bacharta bachayim - and you should choose life is an individual mandate; you need not get permission from higher authorities to protect yourself from imminent danger or death. As my bubbe used to tell me ‘zai nisht a naar’ - be responsible or literally don’t be a fool.
I believe that there must be a radical shift in our collective thinking. In the past few days reports indicate a disproportionate uptick in Coronavirus amongst Chasidic Jews. In the Bobov Chasidic enclave of Boro Park, 1000 people were tested and over 100 came back positive. Similar results were found in Williamsburg and Crown Heights - two other Brooklyn neighborhoods with a large Chasidic influence. They can lay the blame on randomness or unfair testing targeting the orthodox Jewish community, but the truth is that those communities have a rampant disregard for any authority other than their own leader. They ignored warnings and have no one to blame other than themselves. However, their crisis will become our crisis when their infected people start infecting people from other communities. Their crisis will also lead to a terrible chilul Hashem - a desecration of God's name. The anti-Jewish sentiment will justifiably increase when the disease spreads to non Jewish neighborhoods as well. We will have no one to blame but ourselves.
I’m despondent and upset because it could have ended differently. And I place part of the blame on rabbinic authorities who believed all the hype about ‘daat Torah’ - the all encompassing knowledge of the rabbinical authorities. Catholics believe in the infallibility of the pope, Judaism does not believe in the infallibility of the rabbi. Therefore we have to change the way we think about rabbinical authority and their all encompassing knowledge. The truth is that Maimonides was an exception and most rabbis are not doctors and thus have no right giving medical advice or opinions. We must heed the advice of medical professionals for medical issues and heed the advice of rabbinical professionals for rabbinical matters. Going forward I hope the first lesson learned is that we appreciate both the rabbi and the medical professionals but understand their different roles. Please understand that as a rabbi I’m very happy with my role and I don’t ever recall being granted authority to decide matters of life and death.
I also think that it’s time we reflect on interpersonal behaviors after the threat is gone. I am impressed with the camaraderie and care shown in these difficult times and I only hope that we continue when things get better. Sadly, many older people live in a continuous state of quarantine. They rarely leave their apartment and have limited interaction with people. Please make a commitment that post-coronavirus we will continue to make phone calls and offers of delivery of food to those in need.
I had mentioned in previous articles that hygiene and sanitary measures should not be virus dependent issues. People who are sick should never come to shul or public places. Your prayers or Kaddish may be very important to you but not if they can possibly jeopardize the health of others. Unless a shul is absolutely full perhaps it’s best to always keep a distance. It will not only make the shul quieter it will also prevent airborne diseases. Practices in synagogue decorum have to change. I wouldn’t want to place a kippah on my head or a Tallit enveloping my body that was used by countless other people. Diseases do remain on garments and kippot. So perhaps it’s time to invest in yourself and bring your own personal ritual vestments to shul.
I hope and pray that we remain safe and take the advice of the medical professionals seriously. If you don’t need to go out please stay home. If you need something please don’t be shy and ask. I’m being inundated with kind people willing and able to help. I know it’s scary and the lack of a timeframe makes it even more trying. But please know the reason the Jewish people follow the lunar calendar is because it mirrors our collective lives. The moon’s waxing and waning is similar to Jewish history. There are bad times that will soon be replaced by good times and we just hope and pray that the good times come very soon.
Be safe and Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Jack Engel
|
