Yesterday, Thursday, April 16, was the last day of the Jewish holiday Passover. It started last week, on Wednesday, April 8th and outside Israel was celebrated for two nights with the festive dinner, called a Seder, during which the story of the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt in about 1313 BC is retold for the benefits of the next generation. On both nights, a two-hour long story starts with the question “Ma Nishtana?” which in English means “How different is this night from all other nights?” The youngest child traditionally asks the question, and adults sing in response that on those nights we eat specific foods and drink four cups of wine while reclining on a pillow like free people. Though in the Jewish history there were times when we could not be free or be together with our families to celebrate and to retell the story. The celebration always ended (before singing a specific song) with the statement, “Next Year in the rebuilt Jerusalem!”
Now here we are in the year 2020. There are no wars, no persecutions, no exiles, families are easily reachable (our daughters were planning to fly to San Francisco for the celebration), but there was an invisible obstacle called COVID-19, which stopped and changed the lives of billions of people with one goal – to save lives. It did not matter if you were Jewish and celebrated Passover, or Christian and celebrated Easter, or Muslim and celebrated Ramadan. Spring 2020 was a game changer. Historically we live during the Information Age, which began in the 1970s. It is also known as the Computer Age, Digital Age or New Media Age. Now with the advent of the teleconferencing, the world realized that we do not have to travel far away to see and to meet people with whom we want to connect, to do business or to celebrate special events. We just can use Zoom, Facetime, Skype or other connecting software and voilà, the question “Ma Nishtana” can be answered by every participant.
My wife Elfa and I celebrated the first night of Passover together. On the second night, we had both of our daughters, their significant others and their friends. We connected with Palm Springs, Los Angeles and even Israel (at 4 o’clock in the morning). What made this night different was that miracles, which started over 3,300 years ago, continued and sometimes it takes special events like COVID-19 to manifest.
At the same time, regardless of the technological advances for me, nothing can substitute a loving kiss, a friendly hug and a connecting handshake. I am looking forward to the time when these connections are going to be possible again.
P.S. Though we have to maintain the social distancing, this should not preclude us from seeing other people, breathing fresh air and enjoying spring beauty. I accomplished this last Sunday. As in the past, we took Max for a walk around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park. This is where I (safely) encountered other people (and birds) who had similar ideas.
After I sent the image to a lovely couple playing ukuleles, the text came back, “As a little tidbit for your story. We met a week before the pandemic and have been social distance dating ever since.” When I complimented the two men on their creative face masks, they told me that those are napkins they used for their lunch. Whatever it takes to be safe. Please note that I captured all three of them walking with the same rhythm. Since today it is a long story, I decided to add a bonus image of a man who is getting the healing rays of the sun and some vitamin D.
Be Safe, Enjoy and Share with a Friend!
