CHOCHMAS NASHIM: BEREISHIT: ENTROPY: VITRIOL
By: Suri Davis
Vayehi erev, vayehi boker, yom echad/It was evening, it was day on the one day. We Jews start our days at night, e.g., Shabbos starts Friday night. Why? It is essential Emunah/faith, when it’s dark, difficult to see, we have to have faith that day/light will come. I have discussed in the past how the Torah reveals the term chacham lev/wise heart. One generally attributes wisdom to the brain, not the heart, but true wisdom isn’t merely what the five senses can glean, the heart has to be wise to process it properly, staying true to the senses, but also to life experience.
G-D’S WATCHFUL EYE
I usually go to Gourmet Glatt at a time my thoughts are already occupied by a thousand things, not so this week when I went very early. All the employees now have sweatshirts, which say on the back of them “how can I help you.” Nu, so I asked myself, why would they have these words on the back, and not on the front when the employee is looking at the customer? What I came up with is that when the employee is facing you, it’s easier to catch her eye, and naturally the employee would be prepared to help you, not so when the employee has her back to you.
It’s not simple in the middle of this virus to see that G-d is assisting us, seeing us, helping us. It’s the night before the day, but we have to have faith in the day. Have you taken this time to ask what this means to you personally and the community and klal yisrael.
CLOSED ISRAEL BORDERS
Let’s throw in another factor, in the history of the State of Israel, when has there ever been a time that the borders were closed to Jews en masse. We in our community fly to Israel as often as some commute to Manhattan, back and forth, back and forth, with no thought. What does it mean to us/me that I can’t go there when I want?
We in New York were stuck in our homes for Pesach and Shavuoth. Then it was quiet. We have to return to our quarantine and religious limitations for Sukkoth. Those are the Shalosh Regalim, the three Jewish festivals that for which Jews historically traveled to the holy Temple in Jerusalem, and this year, for all three, we were stuck in our homes quarantining, and unable to go to the corner let alone Israel. Israel separated between its citizens/residents, who left the comfort of the diaspora to live in our homeland, to believe in the dream, to get orchestra seats to redemption.
During the first intifada, Rav Zeff Leff of Matesdorf, gave an amazing platinum drasha on the topic of Es Tzarah Hi L’yaakov, Umimena Yivashea/It is a time of danger for Jews, but the danger itself will blossom into redemption. I don’t generally believe that we should try to understand why G-d does what He does generally, e.g., guessing why G-d allowed the Holocaust to occur, some say to fill our cup of punishment so the State of Israel could be founded, but it is mere conjecture and dangerous to guess, though one might ponder the point.
Rav Leff discussed his thoughts about why the Jews of Worm Germany were killed in 1096 by Christian crusaders. Rav Leff surmised that the crusaders left the comfort of their homes to fight for ownership of Israel and Jerusalem. In the time that Ezra was leading the Jewish return to Israel from the diaspora, he went to Worm and tried to convince the Jews there to join him to rebuild the holy temple in Jerusalem and be a part of the redemption. The Jews of Worm refused. So Rav Leff surmised that the Jews were killed at the hands of the crusaders who fought for the holyland, while the Jews passed on the opportunity to return to the land.
G-D’S MESSAGE DIFFERS TO EACH ONE OF US
When G-d gives each one of us a challenge, we each take it in our own way based on nature and nurture, our thoughts and experiences. The Tanach/Jewish holy books recounts the story of two women who both lost two sons, one was Bruriah, Rabbi Meir’s wife, and the other was Naomi, the mother in law of Ruth, in the Book of Ruth. Bruriah’s reaction to the lost was to hold her composure during Shabbos, the day her son’s died, so she wouldn’t ruin her husband’s Shabbos. She then told Rabbi Meir and proclaimed, G-d gave, G-d taketh away, may the name of G-d be blessed.
Naomi’s reaction to the loss of her two sons was to tell all her old friends not to call her Naomi, but to all her Mara/bitter because G-d embittered her. We see that the same occurrence had two different impacts on two people.
When the stores closed, school closed, shuls closed, friend’s home doors closed and our doors closed, we were left to contemplate what G-d’s message was to each of us. Some wanted to be business leaders and rallied the residents to object to the closings and forsake the masks. Other’s were disgusted by those who continued to congregate and infect others en masse, “death is all in G-d’s hands,” true but as to who the messenger is that kills the other person, no one wants the killer to be him/her. People will rationalize their stance as they see fit. Religion and religious observance is very personal. There are those who look for guidance from their rabbis as to what their stance should be on the issue.
I was told by an Israeli Omshinov follower that in the shul in which the rabbi davens there is special protection. Not for all Omshinov, but for those who specifically daven with the rebbe. There are no masks and no social distancing, and that’s what they follow.
THE SECOND WAVE
My analysis of the second wave, hearkens to the story of the Rashbi, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. He was wanted by the Romans and he escaped with his son and hid in a cave for 12 years. When he came out of the cave he saw a farmer working the land and became incensed that the farmer was not learning torah, and fire shot out from his eyes and burned the farmer to death. G-d sent him back in his cave to learn tolerance.
After the first wave, there was a mass return to our old lives, smachot, weddings, bar mitzvahs etc etc. Some remained virus sensitive, but many resumed the large weddings, no social distancing, no masks. We had had enough of sadness and loneliness and limitations.
Perhaps we didn’t learn the message, G-d is returning us to our caves to learn the lessons we need to learn. Are you complaining about this situation? Are you rebelling against the rules? Are you reducing yourself to rallying and name calling and hostility to others? Are you fixated on masks, and politics and antisemitism and red, orange, yellow and white zones? That is noise. Perhaps it is not where we are supposed to be. Not fixated on the Romans chasing after us, but resolved to the situation we can’t change at the moment, and taking it as a time to reorganize our lives and see where we can improve on acts of kindness to others and getting closer to G-d. I don’t know your answer, I am still working out my answer, I know that this is an opportunity….
Shabbat shalom.
Gutten chodesh.
-Suri