By Rabbi Shimon Posner
Whatever I need to know, I learned from coronavirus. Despite the fall-out of the pandemic looming over us, and so, so many friends having lost mothers, fathers, in-laws, brothers, I almost feel guilty for having things so good. So good, that I was even able to find 24 fall-ins:
1) Your responsibility to educate your kids doesn’t end with a school drop-off — that’s when it begins.
2) Physical exertion is good for the mind as well as for the body.
3) Mental exertion is good for the body as well as for the mind.
4) Spiritual exertion (character) is good for your body, mind, soul and everyone else around you.
5) Getting up and dressed in the morning is important.
6) If you need someone other than yourself for discipline, go back to grade-school. Or have a talk with yourself.
7) Another word for ‘undisciplined’, ‘unbridled’, ‘unrestrained’ or ‘free-spirit’ is . . . ‘incontinent’.
8) I don’t need that much money to live.
9) I don’t need to go to restaurants.
10) It is a good thing to have six months expenses in a rainy-day account. Governments should too.
11) I put stupid things on my credit card.
12) Having a credit card was stupid.
13) ‘Leveraged’ is a cynical euphemism for ‘compromised’.
14) Beginning my day with an hour of prayer engenders productivity.
15) If no one in my family died from corona than I have no problems, only inconveniences.
16) Inconveniences turn out to be good.
17) Without distractions I focus on important things.
18) Whenever I whined that I don’t have time, what I was really saying is I don’t have focus.
19) A Jew can make a bris without a brisket. Or bagels.
20) A Jew can have a bar mitzvah without a bar.
21) Weddings don’t last. Marriages can. Invest accordingly.
22) My cellphone is neither smart nor stupid, what I do with it invariably is.
23) With less noise, I shift easier from my default of taking things for granted to receiving with gratitude.
24) When the all-clear siren goes off, I will revert to my default unless I get my act together now.
I am fortunate to live in an area where I am unaffected by the virus however quarantine has been a blessing for my family and my marriage. We have not spent this much time together in years. At first, it was hard, it came in stages, from anger, depression, anxiety, and now acceptance. Once I accepted the situation for what it is everything finally has a flow to it, including kids in zoom school. My house finally feels like a home! I hope I don’t go back into my default ways of life with the constant shuffling from place to… Read more »
Bravo! This is an excellent piece!
We’ve been so busy chasing our tails, we couldn’t even see what’s in front of us and get our priorities straight.
I love your writing. Always on point. I read the article because I saw your name
I loved this piece. Thank you! The last point really resonated with me. This whole quarantine business has really been a gift in a rather peculiar packaging. My kids have never been so relaxed – I’ve never been so relaxed and at ease, and had a chance to work on relationships with those nearest and dearest. Organizing the house (without the pre-pesach stress), having the time to Daven the way I should (seeing my kids emulate me shows me the importance of what we show our children vs what we teach them) and just being generally more focused on what… Read more »
don’t be a purist. credit cards are invaluable if used wisely. like putting the price of important medical equipment, which otherwise I couldn’t immediately afford. I do agree with you of all the other silly things…moderation ( and the ability to pay back a large amount on a monthly basis and a low APR} I think is praiseworthy . and in Israel one does need a significant amount of $ to just make ends meet and live like a mentsch, the no frills variety.