As
we clean for Pesach, many of us note that our homes and hands probably have
never been cleaner and more germ-free as we wash those 20 seconds many times a
day, and wipe down with those sought after Clorox wipes wherever we go.
(Although, our homes are perhaps messier, as we spend all day at home!). As my
son writes his dvar Torah on the makkot for school I consider that we are
living through a plague as well. I contemplate how generations of Jews before
us have survived difficult times. I remind myself of the words of the
haggadah- והִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵיֽנוּ וְלָנֽוּ. שֶׁלֹא
אֶחָד בִּלְבָד, עָמַד עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. אֶלָּא שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר,
עוֹמְדִים עָלֵיֽנוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנֽוּ. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ
מִיָּדָם
"And this (the
promise) is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only
one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to
destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands. "
When
I hear the words “Let my people go” in addition to recalling the Pesach story,
I also relive the Soviet Jewry movement of my teenage years. Those words bring
to mind another generation that survived difficult times. In the
1980s, I recall singing two songs that
always conjured up strong emotions. The first was written in 1977 by the group
Safam and it was called “Leaving Mother Russia.” For those unfamiliar- this is
the first paragraph and the chorus: (Anatole is Natan Sharansky)
They called me Anatole
In prison I did lie,
My little window looked out
On a Russian sky.
For nearly nine long
years
Secluded and in pain
But all my people know
The charges were a
frame.
See my accuser standing
in the hall,
He points his finger at
us all.
You now must pay the
penalty
For the crime of daring
to be free.
Chorus:
We are leaving Mother
Russia,
We have waited far too
long.
We are leaving Mother
Russia,
When they come for us
we’ll be gone.
There was another song
by Mordechai Ben David that we also sang called, “Let My People Go”
The chorus was: (Yossi
is Yosef Mendelovitch)
Yossi
survived he’s free now
Pleading
to you and me now
Always
have in mind
Our
brothers left behind
Trapped
in the iron curtain
Leading
in demonstrations
Firing
inspiration
Thousands
shouting no!
Let
my people go!
Enough
of your bluff and your hurtin’
Thousands
shouting no!
Let
my people go!
Enough
of your bluff and your hurtin’
At Pesach, the best way
for me as a teen to relate to the slavery that the Jews went through was to
consider the imprisonment of the refusniks. It was therefore meaningful
to me when I discovered a video produced by the Jewish Agency of tips from
Natan Sharansky on how to deal with the social isolation of the coronavirus.
Sharansky spent nine years in prison, half of which in solitary confinement.
A short time after his freedom he shared the story that on his first night in
Jerusalem he kissed the Kotel and he said, “Baruch matir asirim” “Blessed is
the one who frees the imprisoned.” And,
yet somehow, as one reads in his autobiography Fear No Evil, even before
he was physically freed he was able to remain psychologically free even while
still imprisoned. What enabled him to do so? This video, that I shared with our 8th
graders last week, shares some of his tips for remaining psychologically free
during this pandemic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdyHlYpRvko. (And, here is a link to a handout we shared with the
students as well: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dcC5umRVMnIGGbKO6nfWEGSngPcYLx4Z/view)
5 tips to get through quarantine- and some
thoughts to discuss with our children:
- We are part of a huge global battle-
We understand the battle Sharansky was a part of- a battle for religious
freedom. But, what battle are we a part of? Let us realize that
there is a purpose for our being in our homes. We are actually helping
others by staying here. When we feel frustrated, we need to remind
ourselves that we are part of the fight and helping.
2.
Try
to build plans that fully depend on you-
Sometimes in life we do not have control over everything that happens to us.
That can be frustrating and even scary. We cannot always control the
circumstances around us, but we can control how we react to them. Whatever we can do to help ourselves feel in
control can lift our spirits. What can you consciously plan in your life?
(Examples he gave, read that book, learn a language). And, let us remember that Hashem is in
control and we can always turn to Him.
3.
Never
give up on your sense of humor- Humor can relieve
stress. There has been much research on how using humor lowers stress levels
during difficult situations. And, not only that, a
good laugh has impactful short-term effects. When a person laughs, it
induces physical changes in one’s body. Laughter can A. Increase the intake
of oxygen-rich air which stimulates your heart, lungs, muscle and increases
endorphins which help you feel good. B. Improve your immune system-
negative thoughts can bring more stress to your body and decrease your
immunity. Positive thoughts can release neuropeptides that help fight stress
and illness. C. Reduce symptoms of stress by stimulating circulation and
muscle relaxation. D. Relieve your stress response by increasing
and decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure which results in a relaxed
feeling.
So, what are you doing
to increase laughter and sense of humor in your life?
4.
Don’t
give up on your hobbies: Engaging in
hobbies is part of crisis survival skills that we need to implement when we are
having a hard time remaining calm. These skills help us distract
ourselves so that we do not catastrophize and scare ourselves further. Some examples might be activities that we
simply enjoy, something that we can do to help others or whatever
activities self-soothe.
5.
Feel
your connection- you are not alone-
During this time we need to connect in non-traditional ways.
While we normally might be trying to limit our teenagers’ online usage, it is
now their lifeline. We have noticed how thirsty the children are to schmooze
with each other before or after our zoom classes. In discussing this
issue with our students we encouraged them to consider the students who may not
have so many social connections. Imagine how lonely they must be right
now. How can they reach out to that
person to say, “Hi.” And, their grandparents- reaching out daily to
check in on them. Connecting to others helps them and us at the same time. We
also consider how we feel connected to the Jewish people through joining
virtual tefillah, concerts or even on-line shiurim.
As part
of Sharansky’s statement before the Soviet court before being sentenced in
1978, he said, “For more than two thousand years the Jewish people, my people,
have been dispersed. But wherever they are, wherever Jews are found, every year
they have repeated,'Next year in Jerusalem.' Now, when I am further than
ever from my people, from Avital, facing many arduous years of imprisonment, I
say, turning to my people, my Avital, 'Next year in Jerusalem.'” This
year, as we sit at our sedarim and say, “Next year in Jerusalem” we need to say
those words by design, as Sharansky did.
The
seder takes us on a journey from slavery to freedom, and we end by sharing the
hope for the future redemption. As Emuna Braverman says in her article
“Next Year In Jerusalem”
“Next year in
Jerusalem” is not just a slogan, a rallying goal, a clever Madison Avenue tag
line. It is a deeply rooted expression of religious belief and of trust in God.
It is not just a way to end the Seder on an emotional high; it is an expression
of our reality. When we utter those words at the end of our Seder (those of us
who are still awake!) we are saying that we know there is something more than
the pain and trauma we are experiencing now. We know that, like all exiles in
the past, this too will end. We know that our salvation comes from the Almighty
and that He is only waiting for us to turn to Him to come to our rescue. When
the Jewish people groaned under the burden of slavery and cried out to God, He
“remembered’ His covenant. God does not have senior moments. He did not forget
His covenant with the Jewish people in the midst of all His other tasks. He was
waiting for us to cry out to Him. He’s waiting now as well... we turn our hearts and minds heavenward as we recognize
that only the Almighty can bring us what we truly want in the depths of our
souls – “leshana haba b’yerushalayim habenuyah – next year in the rebuilt
Jerusalem!”
As we prepare for this unusual
Pesach, may we have the strength to remain believers, as Natan Sharansky did in
his isolation. And, may we remind ourselves that as He did in Egypt and in the
Soviet prison, Hashem is waiting for us to turn to Him to come to our
rescue.
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