May 5781 Be a Year of Blessing

V’Nahphechu. It happened on Purim. One of the distinct features of Purim is the very idea of sudden change. Only in the case of Purim it was the reverse of what it is now. Bad was changed to good. The Jews of ancient Persia were saved from a planned genocide by the ‘Hitler’ of that era.

V’Nahaphechu. Although the virus had already taken root across the sea, before Purim it hadn’t yet affected the way we live. Purim was our turning point. In what seemed like a moment, the world changed unlike anything I have ever experienced in all my 73 years on this earth. Life as we had known it ceased to exist. Replaced by a ‘new normal’ that was anything but.

We are now 6 months into a worldwide plague that has so far killed hundreds of thousands of people. Jews - even some of our leaders - have not been spared from the virus called COVID-19.

This is our reality now. Nothing is the same.  While some of us are more vulnerable than others, we are all susceptible to this terrible highly contagious plague. I need not go into detail about how the way we live now has changed so drastically from what it was before Purim. So many have died... So many have been seriously ill... 

In a few hours, 5780 will mercifully come to an end. It cannot come soon enough for me. I pray that 5781 will bring a new dawn for mankind that we will once and for all be rid of this terrible plague and return to the ‘old normal’. Where we can re-connect with each other in physical ways without fear of getting sick. Where we can once again dance at a wedding and not worry. 

Speaking of weddings. This year did have a couple of bright spots for my family. Two of my Israeli grandchildren - my oldest granddaughter and her younger brother -  recently got engaged to wonderful people. Whom I’ve only met in the virtual reality of a Zoom session. In every cloud there is a silver lining. 

But, sadly, it is highly unlikely that I will be able to attend either wedding. Although I am going to try and see if there is any way I can do so safely at least for the later wedding planned for mid December. (I have a world class doctor in my family who is involved in medical research at Northwestern University and has published several articles in respected medical journals. He is in contact with top epidemiologists in this country and I trust his wisdom.) 

In the Meantime, I want to take this opportunity to wish all of my readers and all of Klal Yisroel a healthy and happy 5781. May God end this pandemic soon.  And may we have yet another V'nahaphechu - from bad to good the way the Jews of ancient Persia did.

Ksiva V’Chasima Tova to all.