Reconnections with Man and God

By Rabbi Dr Jeffrey M. Cohen

When Bernie invited me to write an article for this edition of the shul magazine, he not only tied me down to the number of words and to a deadline of five days, but also to the topic of “reconnection” and to the specific aspects that he wished me to deal with, namely “reconnecting” with each other after eighteen months of Corona lockdown and isolation, or reconnecting with Hashem during the Yamim Noraim. If ever a writer’s hands were ‘bound’!!

But, why should they not be ‘bound,’ given that that is precisely the rootmeaning of the word, “(re)connection,” as derived from the Latin, con (‘together’) + nectere (‘to bind’)? Indeed, in a real sense this nuance is applicable to both the contexts I have been asked to discuss.

To be ‘bound’ suggests a state of restriction. In the case of lockdown that situation certainly requires no elucidation, given the multiple restrictions it imposed on our daily lives. But Jews are fatalists, in the sense that we believe that a higher purpose directs our destiny, to which our ready response has always been הבוטל וז םג, ‘this is also for the best!’ And no matter how dire the threat to our nation, that guiding principle of faith has always seen us through. It was poetically and lyrically enunciated by the psalmist in one of the most familiar of his psalmverses, one which, coincidentally, also opens with the word gam: איגב ךלא יכ םג ידמע התא יכ ער אריא אל תומלצ – Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for You are with me (Ps. 23:4). He taught us thereby a lesson that is vital to the full appreciation of life: namely to be aware of its fragility, and, in consequence, to take nothing for granted, to be grateful for every small blessing, and to set every setback or sorrow against contemplation of the manifold joys, achievements and enriching relationships that make life so interesting, challenging and full.

King David experienced all the agonies and ecstasies of life, and described them as they were, no holds barred. And hence his employment of

the imagery of “the shadow of death” as a metaphor for the brevity of life, its many pitfalls, and the speed with which it rushes by. But his belief was that, however short life may be, it is long enough to be used to the greatest and noblest advantage by those who wish to avail themselves of the glorious potential with which God has endowed it. To waste a moment of life, therefore, is to squander an irrecoverable spiritual resource, which may be subsumed under the Torah prohibition of Bal Tashchit (Deut. 20:19-20; Sefer Ha-Chinukh 529).

So, while serious effects of Covid restrictions on mental health have been widely recorded, the committed Jew should be endowed with the capacity to cope more stoically, given the regulated way-of-life that our Torah prescribes. Far from being viewed as burdensome, its prescriptions are valued for the discipline and focus they give to our lives, with its blessings and rituals allowing us to pause for the expression of awe and gratitude before enjoying the fruits and beauty of nature. The joyous home rituals of Judaism – which make it an extension of the Bet Kneset – should ensure, therefore, that a family ‘restricted’ to its home should remain ‘shielded’ from so much of the boredom, discord, and mental afflictions that have been widely reported.

The very term ‘religion’ – from the Latin, religare, ‘to bind’ - serves to emphasize that positive aspect of guiding its adherents towards such a ‘regulated’, constructive, and contented, life.

At the outset we explained the etymology of ‘reconnection’ in terms of ‘binding together.’ In religious terms this refers to our desire to ‘bond’ with Hashem. This is expressed in the Shema blessing, with its plea for divine aid in that quest – הבהאל ונבבל דחיו ךמש תא הארילו – ‘And unite our hearts in love and awe for Your name.’ Every day, the ritual of ‘binding’ tefillin on the arm symbolises that desire for union, effecting thereby a most intimate embrace with Torah teaching.

Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Cohen retired from the rabbinate in January 2006 after a distinguished career, the last 20 years of which he was rabbi of Stanmore Synagogue in N.W. London, with the largest membership of any Orthodox congregation in Europe. He is the brother of our long time member Victor Cohen.

RE-CONNECTION WITH FELLOW MAN

So far I have dealt with the term ‘connection.’ But my commission was, more accurately, to discuss ‘re-connection,’ whose prefix connotes the restoration of a relationship that was fractured. This may also be applied to the contexts of our response both to Covid, on the one hand, and – lehavdil – to our impaired relationship with God, on the other.

One of the most unpleasant social aspects of Covid has been the great fear of contamination that the pandemic engendered. Humans are social beings, with the faculty of language as our defining feature. Employing that gift, we can express our every thought and emotion, enhance the quality of our relationships, and expand our knowledge through interactive education. Animals, on the other hand, are restricted to a set of predefined messages, confined via the emission of basic sounds. In the modern age, man is also highly mobile, traversing national and international boundaries in the course of work and leisure.

So, for a human being to feel constrained to distance himself from family, friends and acquaintances - to muzzle his face, take regular tests in order to determine his freedom or otherwise from contamination, to be wary of travelling or entering shops, offices, or areas where people congregate – creates a climate of isolation, alienation, and suspicion of ‘the other’. The Torah describes a similar attitude towards the leper who must warn anyone approaching of his condition by calling out the words, tamei tamei – ‘Impure! Impure!’ (Lev. 13:45). We are also, in effect, proclaiming our neighbours a potential source of contamination, generating an attitude of suspicion whose psychological ramifications, especially for the young, cannot yet be predicted.

The ending of lockdown, followed by its later reintroduction; the required isolation when contact with an infected person was notified, followed by various changes in the regulations - and fear of travellers and immigrants importing deadly variants of the virus from abroad, to say nothing of the differing quarantine regulations imposed internationally – all add to the global confusion, uncertainty and fear.

But no one knows how, or if, trust will be regained and a ‘re-connection’ - or restoration to the status quo ante, will be made for decades yet to come, and how many lives and businesses will be ruined in the meantime!

When the Ark is closing and we recite the words םדקכ ונימי שדח - ‘Restore our days as of old’ – we should offer a fervent prayer for the ending of our current plight, for the neutralisation of the virus, and for a return to life as it was. But the most pressing question is, would that be sufficient? Was pre-Covid life an ideal? Were people anywhere observing the Torah’s plea for – תבהאו ךומכ ךערל - ‘loving our neighbour as ourself’? I am not suggesting, as fundamentalists might, that Covid was a heaven-sent wake-up call. But I am calling for us all to take to heart the lessons of Covid, and how vital it is to replace suspicion and fear of fellowman with love and concern for him or her. To use the well-known caution of Rabbi Yechezkel Taub of Kuzmir (1755–1856): ‘Just as the destruction of the Temple came in the wake of causeless hatred, so its reversal can only come in the wake of causeless love’ - wherein man demonstrates concern for his neighbour with no ulterior motive. Where our generation has experienced societal disconnection, may generations to come work indefatigably toward achieving its ‘reconnection’.

RECONNECTION WITH HASHEM

While it may surprise my readers that I have dealt exclusively with interhuman connectivity, and have left what many would regard as the far more important challenge of reconnecting with God for the concluding paragraph, this was purposely done. And our previous paragraph provides the rationale by indicating that our relations with fellow man are more significant in the eyes of Hashem than our relationship with Him. To return to R. Yechezkel Taub’s source: the Talmud states that the population of the first Temple was largely unobservant and steeped in the most heinous of cardinal crimes, whereas those of the second Temple were mainly observant, though quarrelsome and riven with causeless hatred (Tal. Yoma 9b). Now, the fact that the first Temple was speedily rebuilt whereas the second lay in ruins for centuries convinced our sages that God readily forgives religious sins, as specified in His Torah, whereas for sins against fellow man no heavenly forgiveness is extended. So, if we want to ‘reconnect’ with God, we have first to put our society in order and reconnect emotionally and ethically with our fellow man. May we make an earnest start this Rosh Hashanah, and may all our tefillot be answered. ,א׳׳טילש ץק ברהל הבוט המיתחו הביתכ תכרבב ,תסנכה תיב ירבח לכלו ,םיאבגהל n ןהכ ירפ׳ג ברה