7 June 2020
Question
*Back to Normal: Do We Really Want to Go There?*
I need to be honest. I am not excited about going back to life after this coronavirus thing. I've enjoyed working at home at a slower pace, my family is getting on better than ever, I don't mind shopping online. And I hope you don't get offended by this, but I'm not sure I want to come back to shul. I have learned to enjoy praying at home. I actually concentrate more on the prayers and have more focus than I ever did in shul. So what should I really be doing: staying home and praying better or coming back to shul?
Answer
My suggestion: don't go back to shul. Ever. That's just not what Jews do.
I'll prove it to you from an unlikely source.
I'm sure you know that Israel's national airline is called El Al. Do you know what the name El Al actually means? It means Onwards and Upwards. Cute name for an airline, isn't it?
But just stop and think about it for a minute. The names of every other airline are pretty matter of fact - British Airways, American Airlines, Egypt Air. But not the Jewish one. In typical Jewish style, our airline doesn't just have a simple name stating what it is, it has a name that requires philosophical analysis.
Onwards and Upwards could be the motto of Jewish faith. We never go back, and we never go down. Every life experience is a step forward, every hurdle in our path is an invitation to jump higher. There are no detours, it's all a part of the ride. There are no set-backs, only set-forwards. We don't live in the past, trying to regain some glorious moment that was. We march on into the future, trying to make a better moment that will be. Onwards and Upwards.
After the experiences of the last few months, we have been forced to rethink our view of the world and ourselves. We have adopted novel means to connect with family, friends and even G-d. We should never go back. We should go forward, and apply these new skills to a non-crisis reality.
You've learnt to work more efficiently. So don't go back to work as it was, only better. Your family has learnt to appreciate each other more, you should never go back to the family you used to be, you are closer now. And you've learnt to pray better. So please, don't just go back to shul. Go to shul like you never went before. Take your newfound connections and bring them forward, never backward.
El Al, onwards and upwards. Welcome aboard.
