February 19 I went to a friend’s wedding in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem. Not a large wedding, but a wedding. (You remember those, don’t you?) Israel had its third election in one year scheduled for March 1, and I was asking my 92-year-old mother every day whether she wanted to vote. Some days she said yes, and some days she said no. Since she is wheelchair bound, cannot really use her hands, and can mostly only respond to yes-no questions, this was going to pose a challenge. But if she wanted to vote, it would be good for her and meaningful for her to do so.

I was trying to describe to my mother’s foreign worker, a woman from the Philippines, the political issues facing Israel, and I asked her if she was following those things at all. She responded, patiently, “The main issue that concerns most people I know is the virus that has struck China.” And I said to myself, “What? Oh, I heard about that.” On February 23, there was indeed something in the news about 200 South Korean tourists to Israel, some of whom had come down with the coronavirus. A safe route was being found for them to leave the country, and I said to myself, “Good, so let them leave.” I still wasn’t listening.

So, you want to grow a vegetable garden? You’ve been thinking about it for a while, and between the COVID-19 quarantine and the weather turning warmer – well, this year just might be the right time to do it! Who knows what’s going to be with the food supply, and, hey, you might even save some money growing your own! Not to mention that it’s something that can be done while maintaining social distancing and is certainly a wholesome outdoor activity with the kids. I can just picture the scene (as the kids are handed the shovels): “Okay, kids, here ya’ go! It’s time to dig some holes and plant these seeds so that we can have some really great vegetables this summer!

When a young woman or young man gets engaged, besides the joy of the parents, a great excitement fills the homes of their neighbors and friends. I have experienced this myself. My kids begin to ask for all the pertinent details: Who is the young woman? Where is she from? When is the engagement party? Then the questions might get more personal. “What does he do for a living? What do his parents do?” The questions and conversation lead us into territory which border on being judgmental.

Do we have the capacity to go beyond the superficial externalities of someone’s job, kitchen, or the food they served at their engagement party? Beyond that? Where else is there to talk about?

Pesach alone? By yourself? Just your immediate family? No grandparents, no cousins, no guests? No grandchildren to ask the Ma Nishtana? How weird? Nobody could imagine that happening. But this year, it actually did, and many of us were surprised to find it an overall good experience.

Young Couples Stayed Home

Thousands of young couples who did not expect to be leading their own Seder for another few years found themselves leading one this year. For some, it was hard to believe. “You mean I have to clean the refrigerator, kasher the oven and the sink, cover the counters, and cook!? You mean I have to buy pots and pans and every kind of kitchen utensil? Help! Impossible!” Next came the frantic phone calls to Mommy and the Star-K.

Wow! COVID-19 has done quite a number on what we used to think of as “normal.” Nowadays, “flattening the curve” is the highest priority in my house. My husband (may he have a refu’a sheleima) is at high risk. We quickly stopped having direct contact with the outside world to try to ensure he doesn’t get the virus. Our hearts break with those who have been affected by this pandemic, and we want everyone to be as safe and healthy as possible. When we hear about those who struggled with the virus and came out the other side, we cheer their wins. When we hear about the overburdening of the system and the crazy-long hours the healthcare teams are working, we are so grateful for their efforts. May all the cholim of Bnei Yisrael have a refu’a sheleima.

It’s hard to believe that here we are in May of 2020 and no child in Baltimore is in school – from kollel members to teenage yeshiva boys to girls whose seminary year in Israel was aborted, all the way down to kindergarteners and preschoolers in playgroup. It’s almost like science fiction, a world turned upside down! This is completely unexpected, so schools were caught completely unprepared.

To find out how the new arrangements are working out, I spoke to a handful of teachers, parents, and students. It is not possible to generalize, of course, because each school is dealing with the situation in its own way, and within each school, the teachers are not the same. While I got many varied responses, the one point that was clear across the board is that each family is different. What works for one family may not work for another. Moreover, the situation is evolving as time goes on.

Perhaps a good Mashal for what we are experiencing now in quarantine would be the experience of a caterpillar in its cocoon. For the first part of its life a caterpillar experiences a lot of freedom. It wanders around, eats what it wants, interacts with other caterpillars and has a general sense of liberty. Suddenly it finds itself wound up tightly in a cocoon and cannot go anywhere. It sits there for a few weeks and then it emerges into the open air. But its existence is now completely different from anything it experienced before. Prior to being cocooned it was free to roam about on the tree it was born on but that was it. Now, it flutters about and can roam for miles (monarchs will actually migrate hundreds of miles, from California to Mexico). So while the caterpillar is completely clueless as to what is happening to it, and might even complain about being cramped in, it is in reality being prepared for something much bigger and better than it could ever have imagined.

***** if anyone would like to share this story, please attach my Zaidy's name, Moshe Ben Amrom/Moshe ben Chaya Grunwald yes that is zaidy's actual name, same as Moshe rabbeinu, who is known for anivut, a middah that also exemplified Zaidy*****

I want to share something that happened today. Something that if today was a normal day, could have never happened.

We were told that the funeral would be at 10 am sharp. Dont be late or we will miss it. The funerals are very minimal. And quick. Mamash a minyan and a kapittle of tehilim a kel maale rachamim and done.

The

Dear Editor,

                Two thoughts come to my mind as we attempt to weather the Corona crisis. Our Rabbonim have agonized over heart wrenching decisions to close shuls and yeshivos due to the severity of the situation. They have established guidelines, difficult for us to keep, but more difficult for them to make, for the sole purpose of keeping us safe. They have undoubtedly experienced many stressful and sleepless nights in the process, and we must recognize this and increase our respect for them and thank them for their selfless devotion to their flock; everyone of us.

We're thinking of all of you preparing for Pesach and hope that you find this message written by R' Pini Dunner comforting.

One of the issues that has been coming up again and again in the past week during phone calls I have been having with my community, and with others from further afield, is the fact that people will be on their own for the Seder this year, or their Seder will be drastically reduced in numbers, with children or parents elsewhere, all isolated in the midst of the current coronavirus social-distancing self-quarantine situation which is so important to prevent the spread of the disease.