Rabbi Bradley G. Levenberg
During the early days of quarantine, one reading made the rounds which many of us found inspirational. Instead of describing the empty roads and parks and businesses as a blight, the author wrote that our efforts were, “the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness.” How incredible that after spending countless hours discussing and debating what we need to do to truly help those in need, how we need to share our resources and use our privilege, when it came down to it, all that we really needed to do was to stay at home.
What a profound moral lesson and doubly important to recall during these days when we feel the pull to forgo isolation and when our own interests begin to take priority over the needs of others. We have learned that when we recognize uncertainty about the future, we have come to realize that we may be able to influence outcomes – alone or in concert with others. Hope is the embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to certainty. It’s the belief that what we do matters – even though how and when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand. Our behavior matters, our choices influence and impact others. The hope is that, even in an age of competing interests, we can seize the sacred in these days and place the needs of others ahead of our own. We may not want to wear a mask or stay at home…but we should do it anyway. And hope that, in some small way, our actions will make a huge difference.
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