Let’s Change

Years ago, when I was first married, an older man showed up in our Phoenix synagogue one Shabbat morning with his son in tow. That son was a young man of about twenty, thin with rather long, unruly hair and wearing sunglasses. As a way of making him feel welcome he was called to the Torah to recite one of the blessings before the reader began his chanting. It was at this point the young man caught everyone’s attention. Overcome with emotion he began crying.

It didn’t take long to realize that the young man was high on drugs and therefore highly susceptible to tears. I hadn’t thought about him in years until Shavuot morning. Our synagogue had just reopened the woman’s section and I was able to attend services inside the building for the first time in over ten weeks. Even without drugs I was overcome with emotion and highly susceptible to tears.

My mask became damp as I wept with thanksgiving, focusing on the meaning of my prayers. One phrase kept leaping out at me. Praising G-d we declare that He releases the prisoners. That’s exactly how I felt. With the drop in the number of Corona cases in Israel I’d been freed and allowed to renter the synagogue.

As I prayed, though, I was quite aware that my release was only a probation. If the number of those infected rose substantially I would be imprisoned again.  It was then I remembered the continuation of the life of the young man from Phoenix. He got off drugs, straightened out his life, went to learn in yeshiva, married, and had a family.

I’m one of those who believe it is HaShem running the world. He is the One who decides when Corona will spike, as it did over the weekend, and when it will cease. And I believe His decisions are directly related to our behavior. If the young man from Phoenix was able to totally turn his life around so can we.

It was not easy for him to wean himself from drugs. Nor is it easy for us to wean ourselves from self-centeredness, greed, and deceit. However, I believe we can tap into all our good qualities and overcome our negative characteristics while responsibly wearing our masks and following social distancing. I believe we have the ability to become a better, caring people.  I believe we can behave in a way that the Almighty will decide to end sickness and strife. I believe He wants to send us true peace. It’s up to us. Let’s make the right decisions. Let’s change.