Jewish tradition comes down decidedly on the side of science. One of the primary values in Jewish legal thought: Pikuach nefesh, saving a life, overrides almost every other religious mitzvah.
Meghann Hennen, a Jewish preschool teacher based in Cleveland, OH, discovered challah's incredible impact on her life firsthand when she decided to start her own challah business on Instagram... in the midst of the pandemic.
During this pandemic, I was determined that my hero receive his medal in person – and I could think of no better location for his medal presentation than the top of the mountain where he rescued me,
One day, we too will be able remove our masks. It will take longer than we hoped for, but it will happen. The journey from here to there will be hard, laden with loss and sorrow, but we will make it. The road to healing and catharsis will not be a clear and steady progression, but rather, like that of Joseph and his brothers, filled with moments when it seems as if for every step forward there are two steps back.
No matter what we face in the world right now, we still can thank God for what we have – including the blessing of each new day and the hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z”l, served as chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for 22 years. This interview with him first aired on the podcast OnBeing in 2010.
No one ever said that being grateful would be easy; indeed, it can be difficult to be thankful when we have lost so much. Modim anchunu lach, Grateful are we to all those whose have helped us to persevere through this crisis.
In addressing epidemics, there are a number of provisions of Jewish law directly relevant to challenges we face today. The spirit of these laws and their wisdom speaks across the centuries to us now.
Gathering in grief gives us a window into the blessings of life. Jewish tradition does this so well – which makes it all the more difficult to cope with loss in the time of COVID-19.
“I was in NFTY!” a stranger told me, spotting my years-old T-shirt. This feeling of knowing all of us, that we truly did meet at Sinai, or at least a camp, provides comfort during uncomfortable times.