Israel has been through a lot in its 22 years of
existence. Rocket barrages, fears of chemical attack and acts of terror are just
a few of the scares. Perhaps these stressors have resulted in creating a ‘callus’
that assists Israelis when dealing with hardship.
This is the barbed, spiny shell
of the ‘sabra’ that protects its sweet fruit inside as well as the high-tech
savvy that thrives by daring to think and act out of the box.
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| Balcony wedding at a Yeshiva |
I see this kind of fortitude here right now. The
Coronavirus pandemic has moved across the globe with great speed. Everyone’s
life has been affected as we adapt to a new reality where the rules change by
the day.
Just two weeks ago, we were all squished shoulder to shoulder inside shuls
to listen to the Megillah reading. We hugged our friends, gave each other mishloach
manot and had festive meals together.
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| Yellow highlighted words above: Stay Home |
Simply being in close proximity to a someone is now
viewed with fear. Since joyous Purim, gathering in groups of 100 turned to 50, then
to 10 and now we are restricted to staying inside our homes.
As of today, the
rules are even tighter. We now cannot leave our homes unless it is for medical
reasons, food purchase or work (for those who are fortunate enough to have a job).
And if we were to venture out, we could risk being fined. Even Partner, my phone service provider, has replaced its name with the words 'Stay Home.'
Yet when this all began, Israelis still found a way
to celebrate life. Religious weddings were held no matter what. There were
weddings in the produce aisle of grocery stores, on sidewalks and on rooftops.
Guests attended on Skype, by standing on balconies and by peering from neighboring
roofs.
When the ban on gatherings of more than ten people
was first announced, synagogues arranged for ten men to sign up for each of the
three daily minyans. Gatherings of ten were then organized in neighboring homes.
And although this was just a week ago, it seems like distant history.
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| Street minyan in Ra'anana |
Synagogues and yeshivas in Israel are shuttered. Even
the Kotel (The Wailing Wall) is closed off. So people must now pray at home alone.
Yet this will not stop prayer here. Three daily minyanim are being held
remotely. People tune in over the internet and pray along.
This past Shabbat, people in Israel dressed in their fancy Shabbat clothes and opened their laptops to sing and dance the Kabbalat Shabbat service via Zoom. They then lit candles to bring in Shabbat and on Saturday morning, many gathered on their
balconies to pray while a designated chazan took the lead. Someone read from
the Torah while men stood on their balconies draped in tallitot and shouted ‘amen.’
Others, who live in homes, now stand apart on the street and pray together.
Shut in my house, I see very little of the outside
world. These past days have actually felt to me like a prolonged Shabbat,
except we are able to use electronics. A plugged-in Shabbat every day offers
us time to slow down and recenter.
As for necessities, I needed a new cylinder for my gas stove. Given the
situation, I was not even sure if it would come and I pictured myself stooped
over a camp fire stirring a pot. Sure enough, the gas guy came wearing a mask and black gloves, hoisting the
tank over his shoulder. No mention of the dreaded COVID-19 – we stood far from
each other and appreciated the beautiful spring flowers.
No more time can be wasted on consumerism and frivolities
because there is very little online shopping in Israel. Much to every Israeli’s
dismay, Amazon has announced it is stopping shipping to Israel. There isn’t
even a need make social plans, obsess about decorating, or agonize about hosting
a huge Passover seder. When we are forced to let go of our materialism, we start
to appreciate what we really need; love, health, patience and trust – not toilet
paper rolls or fancy Pesach chocolates.
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| Spring colors are the trend |
The fashion world’s usual obsession with upcoming trends
and ‘must haves’ is sweetly replaced by a lineup parading wild flowers. Today’s
mighty world travelers are the cranes who soar above us as they migrate from
Africa to Russia. As for events, there may
not even be an Olympics this year.
Provided we are healthy, this new reality offers us
the opportunity to realize that what we thought were ‘issues’ are unimportant
now. When we place our former preconception of what was a ‘complication or a ‘frustration’
on the back burner, we gain new perspective as to what matters most – reaching out
to our loved ones and our friends, working on forgiveness, and focusing on caring
and learning to live in simplicity.
On a short walk yesterday, I ran into a couple out
for a stroll with their kids. We kept our distance. In such a situation, there is
no time for chit chat – instead they spoke biblically. “The month of Nisan is
coming,” the husband said. “This is the month of the redemption.”
“We were told to hide inside our homes during the
plague of the First Born – and look at us now,” his wife added, shrugging her
shoulders and hurrying home pushing a baby stroller.
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| Israelis urged to stay away from Kotel - photo Emmanuel Dunand/AFP |
Rabbi David Lau, the Chief Rabbi of Israel has
called upon us to fast on Rosh Chodesh Nisan this Wednesday. We are asked to
either fast, or if we have health issues, to refrain from speaking.
"The
situation is serious. We feel the flaming sword the world over and at this
time, in addition to complete obedience to the guiding lines of the health authorities,
we must also try to be more careful in observing the commandments between man
and man, as well as those between man and G-d." |
| Invitation to Zoom morning prayers |
We re-evaluate. We meditate. We learn how to make do with less and how to cope with stress. We finally realize that we are all in this together – no exceptions are given to race, religion, fame or finances. We sit alone in silence and we think. And we pray for the healing of the world. This is our fortitude.
