Shabbos 11
“Even if all the seas would be ink, and the reeds that grow near swamps would be quills, and the heavens would be parchment upon which the words would be written, and all the people would be scribes; all of these are insufficient to write the unquantifiable space of governmental authority.”
This poetic passage (and what is more poetic than “even if all the seas were ink….”) is very relevant to the decisions our governments around the world are being asked to make right now in the wake of the coronavirus. It is not an easy decision to essentially batten down the hatches and shut down all commerce and educational activities. The decision is wreaking havoc with our economy and our lives. Are our respective governments making the right call? All we can do is trust that in fact they are because making the wrong call on the more conservative side of the equation and keeping people home is less risky than the other option. Romemu Synagogue in New York City where I am a member decided to cancel in-person services two weeks ago ahead of most other religious institutions, which was a very brave call. Most others institutions have since followed.
Will we ever get back to normal? I have lived in New York for a very long time and as difficult as it is to live here, it has been a wonderful existence, except for a few extreme events. I was at the World Trade Center site on September 11th, which is a period I equate with the end of innocence. It was the first time I realized that we could be harmed on our soil, and that life here in America and New York City could be dangerous. I no longer felt safe in my city or my skin. The company I worked for brought in grief counselors who facilitated support sessions. At the time I was convinced that the streets of New York would become vulnerable to suicide bombers like Israel experienced. The woman who ran our support group was Israeli and I asked her how Israelis live with such fear of attacks and she said that Israelis were different from Americans because they were more cynical.
If September 11th was a manmade terrorist event, I felt similar terror from a natural disaster during Hurricane Sandy when the lights went out in the city for almost one week. This feels like one of those times and I pray our government authorities know what they are doing.
Here is a link to a poem I wrote about September 11th: https://allyourprettywords.tumblr.com/post/60959680709/september-eleventh-penny-cagan