Doing What's Necessary

Religion News Service

We are about to enter Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year. On this day we beseech God to seal our fate in the Book of Life for the coming year. 

Tefilla (prayers via our voices) , Teshuva, (repentance via fasting) and Tzedaka (Charity) will remove the evil decree! 

It should not be lost on anyone that this has been a year that saw many of us that sought that fate last year - not granted it. Too many of us that might have otherwise lived have succumbed to a deadly disease - via a virus known as COVID-19. This should make us all more cognizant of what this day means to us. And make us better understand how meaningful those prayers are. 

Ironically, when we need it most, some of the prayers said in Shul might be skipped, and others sped up. That is because of the need to shorten the time spent indoors where the virus spreads more easily. 

But that should not mean that our sincerity and intent is lessened. On the contrary. If there was ever a time to pray for our personal welfare, that of our families, and the welfare of the community this is it. The sincerity and intent of prayer is not directly proportional to the time spent on it. We need to double down on prayer despite the shortened time. 

Those of us that have managed to stay safe need to be grateful for that. And no less feel sorrow for those that have not made it. And perhaps more importantly, empathy for survivors that in some cases may never fully recover. And empathy even for their surviving loved ones. 

It is for that reason we must stay vigilant. In addition to these vital prayers we must not drop the ball here and get lax about the protective measures that have kept most of us alive and healthy thus far. God does not want us to rely on miracles. The more we lessen our resolve to do what is necessary to stay safe, the more likely it is to become sick. Which in some cases might require a miracle to survive.

With these sobering thoughts in mind I wish everyone a G’mar Chasima Tova. May God inscribe us in the Book of Life and  grant us all good health to go along with it. May 5781 soon usher in an end to the pandemic and a return to normalcy. Something I will never take for granted again.