A message from our founder, Rabbi Slomovitz/Dr. Abraham- Hello all. For the past few years, I have been making the point that one of the main themes that links the Hebrew and Christian faiths is the concept of, “Love your Neighbor as Yourself.” The origin of these words is the book of Leviticus. The sentiment is universal and most likely extends back into pre-Biblical periods of civilization. Its essence is on display daily as the entire country and much of the world struggles mightily to confront the Covid 19 virus. The virus knows none of the artificial boundaries that we spend much of our life reinforcing: gender distinctions, racial separations, differing nationalities and creeds, are subject to its harm. Our response must be a human one. People, expert in the fields of medicine, nursing and infectious diseases, have been wonderfully forthcoming with their wisdom on how best to fight this modern day plague.
Neighbors are helping neighbors. Advice and help of all sorts is being given freely one to the other. The irony about all this is that while we give of ourselves we are forced to do so at a distance. Social and physical distancing doesn’t mean that we have to be emotionally or spiritually apart. We give and help each other because it’s the right and humane thing to do.
Coming next week are the spring holidays of Passover and Easter. Both represent the a new season of hope, a belief in God acting in history and a desire to begin a new season of growth and new life. Let us hope and pray that we survive through April and are able to experience a more peaceful May and June and step back to our normative lives.