It has not escaped my attention that
the event of the corona virus is happening between Purim and Passover. Purim,
like Yom Kippur, is when we read a story about chance. The tables get turned
for the better --- the Jews are saved, not destroyed. We acknowledge that
fate can change at any given moment and we pray it turns in our favor. We
are also headed into Passover where it took ten plagues to get us out of Egypt. People died with each plague. We learn that we don’t sing Hallel
because the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea, that their lives also belong to the
Holy One. Yet that story of liberation has fueled many a tradition and given
many hope...
There is a story I have read on Yom
Kippur, it’s a Zen Buddhist story not Jewish one, but at time like this virus
it’s offering me some perspective I’d like to share:

Soon after, neighbors from the
nearby village visited, offering their condolences and said, "What a
shame. Now your only horse is gone. How unfortunate you are! You must be
very sad. How will you live, work the land, and prosper?" The farmer
replied:" Maybe so, maybe not... who knows, we shall
see."
Two days later the old horse came
back now rejuvenated after meandering in the mountainsides while eating the
wild grasses. He came back with twelve new younger and healthy horses, which
followed the old horse into the corral.
Word got out in the village of the
old farmer's good fortune and it wasn't long before people stopped by to
congratulate the farmer on his good luck. "How fortunate you are!"
they exclaimed. "You must be very happy!" Again, the farmer softly said:
"Maybe so, maybe not.... Who knows? We shall see."
At daybreak on the next morning, the
farmer's only son set off to attempt to train the new wild horses, but the
farmer's son was thrown to the ground and broke his leg. One by one villagers
arrived during the day to bemoan the farmer's latest misfortune. "Oh, what
a tragedy! Your son won't be able to help you farm with a broken leg. You'll
have to do all the work yourself, How will you survive? You must be very
sad," they said. Calmly going about his usual business the farmer
answered, "Maybe so...maybe not ...Who knows? We shall see".
Several days later a war broke out.
The Emperor's men arrived in the village demanding that young men come with
them to be conscripted into the Emperor's army. As it happened the farmer's son
was deemed unfit because of his broken leg. In the teahouse, the villagers
again commented "What very good fortune you have!!" as their own
young sons were marched away. "You must be very happy." "Maybe
so, Who knows? We shall see!", replied the old farmer as he headed off to
work his field alone.
As time went on the broken leg
healed but the son was left with a slight limp. Again the neighbors came to pay
their condolences. "Oh what bad luck. Too bad for you"! But the old
farmer simply replied; "Maybe so, maybe not...Who knows? We shall
see."
As it turned out the other young
village boys had died in the war and the old farmer and his son were the only
able bodied men capable of working the village lands. The old farmer became
wealthy and was very generous to the villagers. They said: "Oh how
fortunate we are, you must be very happy", to which the old farmer
replied, "Maybe...Who knows? We shall see!"

What if the corona virus:

-Creates new jobs we don’t yet know
about?
- Inspires Israel to find a vaccine and offer
it to its enemies and peace breaks out?
-Takes the bullying, warmongering,
trolling, and nastiness out of people; connects people in different ways; catapults us to the future where we see
technology as a true gift to keep us safe and connected; perhaps alleviates
some souls from suffering who have just not been able to exit life yet?
- Teaches us that we can cooperate across
borders and then maybe find cures for plastic overload and environmental
issues?

-Permits us to
use our time at home to clean our house, catch up on things, learn a new skill,
and clean out our inboxes and voicemails? Or better yet, make art and music,
meditate, and pray.
-Inspires us to find new ways to help and care for each other?
- Diminishes our carbon emissions with
less travel so that it actually helps the planet and puts us on the right track?
- Helps us find we are more resilient than
we knew?
- Pushes billionaires step up and fund more?
-Helps the world find more compassion and
solutions for the poor, disabled, elderly, mentally ill and those who need
ongoing help?
- Resets our overwork/overwhelm cycle?
- Encourages us to learn to
enjoy and love more those we are with at home?
-Means we learn how to manage
anxiety?
- Exposes the cracks in our healthcare system and we unite to fix
it?
- Forces us try new recipes and waste less food since we don't want to go out and
shop?

Maybe …who knows? we shall see….
Rabbi
Rayzel Raphael , guest blogger, is the spiritual leader of Darkaynu In Warrington. She also
offers lifecycle events and counseling in the Philadelphia, NJ and Delaware
area. She is an award winning songwriter, and the author of two
children’s books- Angels for Dreamtime and New
Moon. For more information- and spiritual resources to get
through these times - visit her website: www.shechinah.com
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