We are in our sixth week of “Safer at Home.” What we are going through collectively and globally, is unprecedented—in our lifetimes but not in world history.
In 1831, there was a cholera outbreak that swept across Europe, killing tens of thousands of people. Jews of that time turned to their rabbis for advice about how to conduct themselves in the face of the contagion. One of the great leaders of the day, Rabbi Akiva Eiger (1761-1837) of Posen, which was then part of Prussia, was asked how the community should best respond to the crisis. Here’s some of the advice that Rabbi Eiger shared: Gathering in a small space is inappropriate, but it is possible to pray in groups, each one about 15 people altogether…
…Collect for each community member… six large coins, and use this to fund saving [the] lives [of those stricken with the disease]…
Be clean. Don’t leave any filth or dirt in the home…
And try not to worry. Distance yourself from any kind of sadness… When the sun is shining, take a stroll in the fields for some fresh air…
Wise counsel even 189 years later: practice social distancing, collect funds to provide support for the community, practice good hygiene, get outside for some exercise, and endeavor to remain hopeful.
We will survive this, just as Rabbi Eiger’s community did. We will be changed by it, to be sure, but we will—collectively—survive. In some ways, I imagine and I hope, we will grow from this and be even stronger. And, just like in Rabbi Eiger’s time, the path to survival is a shared one. We need each other—right now—more than ever. Now is the time to support one another, our congregations, our schools, our community more fully. Now is the time to find comfort and strength in the wisdom of our tradition.
This is a challenging moment. How grateful we are to be part of a community that knows how to navigate such difficult times.
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback is the senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Temple and Schools.
