Dear Shir Chadash community -
One of the very few rules we find about Shabbat in the Torah is this one:
Let everyone remain where they are: let no one leave their place on the seventh day.
(
Shemot
16:30)
That rule now applies to every day of our lives. Staying home protects not only ourselves but our precious community. Keeping out of close contact with each other means we reduce the pressure on our overloaded health infrastructure so people who are truly sick can get the help and resources they need.
So, painful though it is, we
must
continue to isolate as much as we possibly can. Doing so could save a life - which is the greatest mitzvah of all.
This of course means that the usual events that mark our lifecycle have changed. The welcoming of newborn children, the celebration of marriages - everything that can be postponed is being postponed. It is becoming clear that we will need to take especial care when we are honoring our dead. I am in touch with colleagues near and far to plan how best to protect each other. Our beloved ones can still bequeath us the gift of life. We will honor them and each other with
hesed shel emet -
the most authentic love.
Please stay well this Shabbat.
Rabbi Silver
