I am not referring to the Coronavirus which is obviously not something wonderful. What I am referring to is the heartwarming response to last Sunday’s Day of Prayer organized at the Western Wall in Jerusalem where thousands of Jewish people prayed for the well-being of the victims of the Coronavirus in China. Please click here for a Chinese blogger speaking in Hebrew with English subtitles describing the reactions from all over China to the kind gesture of support made at the Kotel Day of Prayer. Even people who are not religious appreciated the gesture of solidarity made showing concern for them. As my mother OB”M often said, “Davening may not always help, but it certainly never hurts.” There are even research studies done that demonstrate the recuperative impact prayer has on patients who know they are being prayed for by others.
Many of us have been following closely with some sense of anxiety and trepidation about the potential “pandemic” possibilities related to the spread of the Coronavirus. One of the Chinese posts was from a woman who said, in Chinese, roughly the equivalent of “love and hope spread around the world more quickly than any virus can.” Another post mentioned that China did a very small gesture to help Jews during World War II and it is nice to see the gratitude displayed in Israel at the Day of Prayer as a small token of paying back that kindness.
I was struck by how much my perception of the very foreign, distant, and quite different country of China seemed to me before seeing this blog and how much my perception of China has shifted after observing the common humanity that connects all people in the world. On a very practical level, I am proud to be an American Jew knowing that biotech companies and universities in Austin, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a team at the Weizman Institute in Israel are close to developing a Coronavirus vaccine. Whether the ultimate treatment for the Coronavirus is developed in England, China, the US, Israel or some other country it is glaringly obvious at times like this that the future of humanity is intrinsically bound together as we face serious threats to our survival.
When one’s behavior as a Jew elicits admiration and goodwill toward the Jewish people, it is known in Jewish literature as “making a Kiddush Hashem” which means increasing G-d’s holiness in the world. There is a Chassidic custom made famous by the previous Rabbi of Chabad, to get up before sunrise on the Shabbat where we announce the upcoming new month to say the entire book of King David’s Psalms to unlock the potential blessing in the month ahead. Being that the month of Adar is especially auspicious for increasing joy in the world, let us all try and tap into this spiritual energy. Please try to emulate last week’s show of solidarity by saying an extra chapter of Tehilim/Psalms or a prayer in honor of those people in China and around the globe dealing with the spreading of the Coronavirus.
May we all be blessed with true joy and good health in the month ahead.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Elisha Paul
