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March 9, 2020 7:28 am
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Jewish Lessons From the Coronavirus

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avatar by Pinchas Allouche

Opinion

A general view shows an area of the departures terminal in Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 8, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Rami Amichay.

To date, more than 100,000 people have been affected by the coronavirus globally, including 3,000 deaths. As we pray that this pandemic ends speedily, here are five pressing lessons that we may learn from this tragic disease:

LESSON ONE: One Sneeze Can Change the World

According to health experts, the coronavirus spreads viral particles through sneezing, which can infect many people.

The lesson is powerful: we each possess two forces within — a body and a soul. And if small particles from our body can produce such havoc, just imagine how much good our souls can create with its Divine particles. If one sneeze can affect our world so dramatically, one positive deed can certainly produce great change.

It is true: each of us holds the power to alter the state of our society. If we can allow our souls to produce some Divine particles through deeds of goodness, we too can engender a positive revolution that can, and will, better our world.

As Maimonides once put it: “Each person must view himself and the entire world as being half meritorious and half guilty. If he does one single good deed, he can tip the scale and bring deliverance to the entire world” (Mishne Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:5).

LESSON TWO: A Little Bit of Fear Is Good

Franklin D. Roosevelt famously exclaimed that there is “nothing to fear but fear itself.” Yet dare I ask, is it true that we should not be afraid of fear?

Judaism would disagree. Sure, fear can be dangerous. It can paralyze the mind, stifle our growth, and lead to habits of destruction. But fear can also be constructive.

It is no secret that the coronavirus has spread fear among individuals and nations. People are increasingly afraid to congregate, travel, and attend public events.

But the more we fear for what will be in the future, the more we can also learn to appreciate all that we have, today, at the present.

Turbulent times like these can teach us that life is so vulnerable, that seeming certainties are so uncertain, and that material achievements are so fleeting. The fear that then naturally emerges from these realizations can rattle us profoundly. But it can, and it must, also awaken us to a renewed appreciation and commitment toward all that is firm and certain in our lives — from deepening our relationships with our loved ones to rededicating ourselves to living a life of purpose.

Perhaps this is why the wisest of men, King Solomon, taught that “happy is the man who is always fearful” (Proverbs 28:14). A little bit of fear is valuable, for it prevents us from falling into a state of stalemate, and opens our eyes to all the good that lies in and around us.

LESSON THREE: The Unbreakable Power of Unity

As I write these words, world governments and international experts are collaborating in unprecedented ways to find a vaccine for the coronavirus.

It is in historic moments of unity such as these that we are privy to the power of collective responsibility. When we come together as one, even the most destructive of diseases becomes curable, and even the cruelest of challenges are, eventually, surmountable.

It is no secret that we live in tumultuous and divisive times. Yet, the coronavirus teaches us that the path to a healthy future relies on our ability to work together with respect for who we are: people of all kinds, who were created in the image of G-d.

And when we join hands together, an avenue of redemption is then paved. Like the colors of a rainbow or a symphony of instruments, true beauty and harmony will only emanate from our ability to unite together.

LESSON FOUR: “Keeping Good Hygiene”

With the rapid spread of the coronavirus, health officials are constantly warning us to “keep good hygiene.”

But I wonder: are we as careful about physical infections as we are about spiritual ones, such as negative words and actions?

It is no secret that we live in an age of impulsions. On social media, we often do not hesitate to voice our immediate reaction to every story under the sun. But not every post is worthy of our likes, pokes, and comments.

For in the race to speak back, we often forget to think. In the urge to reply, our swirl of emotions often eclipses our clarity of thought. And in the heat of disagreements, spiritual viruses can spread uncontrollably.

In the wise words of the Kotzker Rebbe (1787-1859): “All that is thought should not be said, all that is said should not be written, all that is written should not be published, and all that is published should not be read.”

LESSON FIVE: Man Plans, G-d Laughs

So says an old Yiddish adage. As we all know, our personal plans are not always fulfilled. Sometimes we get “stuck in traffic.” Other times, we receive a phone call that rocks our day.

The coronavirus has destabilized many of us. Personally, I was notified yesterday that a six-day mission of young Jewish leaders to Riga and Paris, in which I was to assume a role, was postponed.

Yet this disruption of plans teaches us a vital secret to happiness. Every day includes two plans: the plan that we design for ourselves, and the plan that God designs for us. Unfortunately, they are not always synchronized. Sometimes we plan for A, but B happens. But the question then begs itself: how will we respond? Will we bury ourselves in frustration, or will we learn to accept the hidden blessings in God’s unannounced plans?

Viktor Frankl, the famed psychotherapist, once taught his students to “not ask what they want from life.” Instead, they should ask “what life wants from them, and then happiness will follow.”

Frankl was right. True happiness can only be achieved when we learn to accept what life wants from us, even when it interferes with our own plans. Some of history’s greatest heroes — from Queen Esther in the story of the upcoming festival of Purim to Sir Nicholas Winton who saved over 600 children during the Holocaust — rose to glory when they heeded the call of the unplanned.

And so must we. At times, we may not see the blessings in the unexpected events of life, but we must believe that they exist, and that, one day, we will find within them the laughter of G-d.

Rabbi Pinchas Allouche is the head Rabbi at Congregation Beth Tefillah in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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