This week I spoke with a friend, an extraordinary man, who always has something interesting and funny to say. We quickly got to Corona and after asking about each other's well-being and the well-being of our parents (he knows my mother well, who taught him literature in high school...) we got lost in thoughts about the unbelievable situation we are all in now. Then, of all the people in the world, he quoted Sherlock Holmes, who said: "The biggest mistake is to create a theory when you don't have enough information yet," and added on his behalf, "What makes me laugh the most now are people who already know how to interpret all of this so decisively.".
It was a small moment of enlightenment - an external formulation that illuminated an internal truth that had been swirling around without taking shape. And truly - I look in amazement at all those who already know what will happen after and that "everything will change" or that "nothing will change" and so on and so forth. According to all the experts, we in Israel are not even at the peak of the crisis yet, and as someone who went into reserve this week, I saw with my own eyes the traces of confusion on the faces of the soldiers in my medical unit and my fellow commanders trying to do their best in a completely unfamiliar situation. And yet, what does constitute an inner support, a guide of some kind, on days like these? There are, of course, different answers to this too, and I want to offer one here – one that I encountered every week but now has taken on a special meaning for me.
Among the verses of blessing that are traditionally recited on Shabbat evening in preparation for the new week is a quote from Tractate Megillah of the Babylonian Talmud: Rabbi Yochanan said, "Wherever you find the might of God, you find His humility.".
This is written in the Torah, repeated in the Prophets, and repeated in the Scriptures. It is written in the Torah (Deuteronomy 10:17")"" For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords," and it is written afterwards, "He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow." It is mentioned in the prophets (Isaiah 55:15) ""Thus says the high and lofty One who dwells forever and is holy," etc., and it is written afterwards, "And you who are of a contrite and humble spirit," a triplet in the Scriptures, as it is written (Psalms 68:5"Solo to the rider on the plains, his name is Bi'ah" and it is later written "A father of orphans and a judge of widows" (Tractate Megillah 31)
The sages, with their talent, created a wonderful meaning within the order of biblical verses: God's greatness is expressed through acts of humility, of kindness, of justice, of lifting up the oppressed and the lowly in spirit.
And if it is so - we: humans - are one and the same.
Here is a great guide, in my opinion, for this hour – an hour that undoubtedly demands greatness. It confronts us with great challenges (each in his own life space), challenges that require us in many ways to be greater than our normal functioning. Paradoxically, the required confinements and isolation actually require an increase in our powers of execution, mind, and spirit. This is true in the private, community, and social space. There is no need to elaborate on the greatness now required of medical professionals, who risk themselves every day for the public.
The beauty of the sages' statement is that they pointed out precisely that the challenge is how to translate greatness with all the energy it contains – into humility: into specific acts of devotion, friendship, and concern. This is not a simple task at all, but the sages equipped us with at least the power of two words, of human qualities, and placed them on the horizon of our intention. They left us to answer the question: How can we make the transformation from greatness to humility and back again? And how can we find the strength to make these transitions in such a confusing situation?. These are some of the biggest questions I ask myself these days, and which we as a community are also striving to answer - with great concern, in an attempt to connect in a time of separation, while remaining in touch in an era of isolation.
Thank you to all those who have already helped us this week - Sigal with a Feldenkrais class, Haim with a class for Passover, to everyone who called a friend, who offered help to someone struggling financially or in some other way. And we must remember - those who help with one hand often need help with the other. We are here – the entire team, all the friends who have already come forward to help and those who will come. Together we will get through this.
Yours with love,
Good Saturday,
Rani
