"Come In," She Said, "I'll Give You Shelter From The Storm" (Bob Dylan: Shelter From The Storm)

           I spent this past week finishing up my final days of quarantine. I took my Covid Test and had a requisite Negative result  72 hours prior to my returning to the border, took the Covid Test upon my arrival at the border two weeks ago, took my Day 8 Covid test and received the negative result three days later, I have received the daily phone calls, filled out my daily questionnaire on the ArriveCan app. Oh, I was already fully vaccinated prior to my driving out of Canada. I was even visited by someone from Health Canada inquiring about my quarantine three days before the rules for re-entry and quarantine changed for Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. During this time, I began to wonder about the logic and science of it all.  Six months ago, even three months ago, I completely understood the rationale of the testing and the 14-day quarantine. Back then,  Canada was at the beginning of the vaccination rollout process and there were all kinds of issues regarding supply. As I entered my final days of quarantine, Ontario had more than 70% of its population with one shot and nearly 30% of its population fully vaccinated.  I have been fully vaccinated for more than 5 weeks. I had no Covid 72 hours prior to crossing the border 15 days ago Friday. I was negative when I crossed the border. I was negative 8 days into quarantine. So, when I was visited by Health Canada, I asked him the logic of remaining in quarantine.

          This Shabbat, we read from the final two Parshiot in Sefer Bemidbar (Book of Numbers): Matot and Masei.  This double Parsha begins with the laws of Nedarim (Vows), and then B'nai Yisroel fights against the Midianites. Moshe rebukes his officers for their collective failure to deal with the Midianite woman since they were the cause of Bnai Yisroel’s plague in the first place. Bnai Yisroel then begins the process of dividing the spoils of this battle. Two tribes, Reuben and Gad request to settle in the land east of the Jordan River and not the land promised by Hashem. Moshe expresses his anger over the request and the two tribes amend their request. Moshe adds a condition and an agreement is reached. The Torah recounts the various stops that Bnai Yisroel made on their journey to Eretz Canaan, the boundaries of Eretz Canaan are clarified, the new leadership is introduced and the cities of refuge of explained and established. Finally, Sefer Bemidbar concludes with a reminder of the laws for tribal inheritance. With all those loose ends neatly sewn up; B'nai Yisroel now sits on the eastern bank of the Jordan River waiting to enter Eretz Canaan. As we conclude the reading, we say Chazak Chazak v’ NitChazeik – From strength to strength we shall go forward in strength.

           The Arei Miklaat, the Cities of Refuge, were essentially places to quarantine. No, these quarantine-like Cities of Refuge were not instituted for medical purposes. Rather the Cities of Refuge were designed for those individuals accused of manslaughter. In order to avoid the victim's family, the perpetrator could flee to one of these cities and quarantine,  seeking refuge. However, instead of remaining in quarantine for 14 days, the individual would have to remain there until the death of Kohen, or for 40 years. These cities were, by design, cities for the Leviim for the Priests. These cities were supported by the tribal lands in which the cities existed. By design, these cities had a different status. V’Eit He’Arim Asher Titnu Le’Leviim Et Shesh Arei Miklaat  Asher Titnu LaNus Shamah HaRotzeach V’Aleihem Titnu Arbaim U’Shtayim Ir - And the cities that you shall give to the Levites shall be the six cities of refuge,  which you shall provide as places to which a murderer can flee. Besides these (six) you shall provide an additional forty-two cities (Num. 35:6). The six cities are for the Leviim, why then, does the verse include another statement which mentions the forty-two cities and for whom, are those cities? Do those cities also allow for a refuge, quarantine, or sanctuary? The Tifferet Shlomo, 19th century Polish Chassidic leader, offered a fascinating way to understand the verse. “The six cities of refuge allude to the six words in the verse Shema Yisroel, Adoshem Elokeinu  Hashem Echad - Hear O’ Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is One (Deut. 5:22). These words indeed provide a spiritual refuge for a Jew’s troubled soul. The additional forty-two cities suggest the forty-two words that make up the “Vehavta” the first paragraph of the Shema, through which a Jew submits his entire being to God’s will.”  

          Indeed, these words, these words of faith provide a refuge, a sanctuary, they allow us to quarantine, to heal, to become and remain spiritually inoculated. To a degree, the Tiferet Shlomo reminds us that the words of the Torah, Judaism itself is a refuge. No, the words of the Torah are not an escape from the world. However the words of Torah, Judaism allows us to infuse holiness into the mundane. That process, infusing holiness into our everyday lives, into everyday ordinary deeds provides a refuge from the mundane, and spiritually enriches one's life by adding meaning. So, after it was abundantly clear that I cannot possibly have the Covid Virus, and therefore cannot transmit what does not exist, the Health Canada person smiled and scratched his head. He said that my conclusion reflects science and logic and understanding. He agreed with me and explained that was the reason why all the checking would be winding down. Everyone now understands that there are legitimate moments to quarantine to seek protection. However, after multiple tests and being fully vaccinated, there is no scientific reason to continue the policy. He then warned me that all it takes is one individual who is not particularly thoughtful, and will be ridiculously overzealous in his/her job and still want to catch people breaking quarantine and issuing fines.

Peace,
Rav Yitz

And The Seeds That Were Silent All Burst Into Bloom And Decay (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Eyes Of The World")

          With the conclusion of Passover and the return of our house to normal, I find myself constantly referring to the Jewish Calendar.  Besides counting the Omer every evening since the second night of Pesach, I start checking the calendar because a new Jewish month begins shortly. I check the calendar because this week the Jewish people commemorated Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. Next week, Israel will observe Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Independence Day). I recently conducted a funeral for a Holocaust survivor. The woman died alone. She had no surviving family members. She never married, never had children. She lived with her sister and when the sister passed away she went into an old age home. The lawyer who looked after her estate explained this to me. Normally, I would meet with the family and ask all kinds of questions in order to get to know the story and the life of the deceased. The silence occurs after the family has shared numerous details about the life of their loved one and that silence is the silence of quiet peaceful pleasant memory. For the funeral of this Holocaust survivor, there was only the silence of an elderly woman’s life and an even more resounding silence in her death. There was no one to tell me about her life nor her death. Rather there was only silence.

          This morning we read from Parsha Shemini. The Parsha is comprised of chapters 9,10, and 11 of Sefer Vayikra. In the first chapter of the Parsha, Aaron has now been separated from the camp, and the people for 7 days. He has now become spiritually pure to make offerings on behalf of the people to God. He now makes the first public offering on behalf of the people and God accepts it. The second chapter is a narrative that tells us about Aaron’s two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. They want to approach godlike their father did, however, they are not spiritually ready. They offer “strange fire”, and are immediately killed.  Moshe instructs Aaron and his two surviving sons about the appropriate behavior that is necessary when making offerings on behalf of the people. The third chapter of the Parsha discusses all the animals that are permitted and prohibited under the laws of Kashrut.

        Upon the death of Nadav and Avihu, Moshe has to tell his brother Aaron of his son’s death.  Vayomer Moshe El Aharon Hu Asher Diber Adoshem Leimor Bikrovai Ekadesh V’Al P’nei Chol Ha’Am Ekaveid – Moshe said to Aaron: “Of this did God speak, I will be sanctified through those who are closest to me, thus I will be honored by this entire people.” (Lev. 10:3) In as touching and humane a manner as one will ever read, Moshe tells Aaron that his sons have gone to God. Aharon’s response is silence. Vayidom Aharon – and Aaron was silent (Lev. 10:3). He didn’t cry out, he didn’t protest, but rather remained silent. Ramban, the 13th century Spanish Torah commentator explains that prior to Moshe’s words of comfort, Aharon had been weeping loudly. Moshe’s words of consolation calmed Aharon and he became silent. Aharon’s weeping was not only because he discovered that two of his sons had died but he was unable to make sense of the senseless. Parents aren’t supposed to bury children.  Aharon’s silence was not the silence of indifference, nor the silence of emotional shock. Aharon’s silence was the silence of acceptance.  He accepted Moshe’s words and God’s actions. Aharon’s silence indicated that he was able to make sense out of something that seemed senseless. When his sons died, there was someone to weep for them and there was someone to give meaning to their lives and to their deaths. Only in the aftermath of ascribing meaning to his sons' lives and his sons' deaths were Aharon capable of silence. Only then could Aharon listen to Moshe speak to his remaining two sons as to the appropriate manner in which he and his sons, given their stature and role within the community, must conduct their lives.  

          For the funeral of the Holocaust survivor, there was only silence because no one was able to tell me about this woman’s life nor death. I couldn’t help but think about the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Jews whose deaths were greeted with silence because there was no one to talk about their lives, their deeds, their stories. This was not the silence of a pleasant memory after the memories have been shared. Nor the acceptance of death because that person’s life made sense.  Instead, there was only the silence of not accepting the unacceptable nor trying to make sense out of the senseless. 

Peace,

Rav Yitz