Page 27 - Jewish News | November 2021

COMMENTARY November 2021 27A

The latest excuse The power in a laugh Refilling the glass

for killing Jews also point out the benefit for the one us who haven’t seen family members

who causes the smiles. This act keeps
in a long time, FaceTime is better than
From them distant from sin and from nega- From nothing. It is not the real thing, but it is
tive emotions. In these moments, each
much nicer than receiving a letter.
the person is brought one step further away the minyan, the required quorum, forces us
We Jews pray in the plural. The
from sadness.
Bimah In our world today, we don’t have Bimah to create community. When we were
to look far to find reasons to not smile. faced with the necessity of canceling
Depression, anxiety, sadness and fear in-person worship, we suffered many
are as present as ever. I worry that the losses. There was the loss of commu-
Rabbi Michael Shefrin pandemic’s negative impact on our Rabbi Stephen L. Sniderman nity. Virtual community is better than
Associate Rabbi, societal happiness will far outlast the Temple Beth Israel nothing, but again, it isn’t the real
Temple Emanu-El pandemic itself. Who among us could y goal for the coming year thing. We suffered the loss of praying
he Talmud tells a memorable not benefit from more smiles these is straightforward. I want to those parts of the service that require a
tale of Rabbi Beroka walking in days? Mstay alive. I have the same minyan. I am thinking in particular of
Tthe marketplace with the Proph- Ecclesiastes teaches, “There is hope for all of us. We have spent a year saying kaddish. When we first had to
et Elijah. The rabbi asks if anyone there a time to weep, and a time to laugh.” and a half coping with a pandemic. We close our doors, I thought historically.
is worthy of a place in Olam HaBa, the I believe there is also a time to make have lost dear friends. We have had to Many Jews throughout history were
World-to-Come? Elijah’s devastating others laugh. It is a Jewish thing to do. readjust our lifestyles. I want to live alone. The example of hiding in the
answer is, “No.” That is depressing. We have a long tradition of humor. It through this. I want to come out of it woods comes to mind. When we were
As they continue walking, they are has been part of who we are for mil- stronger. alone, we prayed whatever prayers we
passed by two men. Elijah’s answer lennia. As we learn from Elijah, if we Is the glass half-full or half-empty? could. We did not give up. We often en-
changes. He says, “Those men are wor- can make others laugh and smile, we I want the glass to be more than half- couraged ourselves by saying it could
thy.” The two men Elijah is referring to are assured of God’s blessings. full. I want the glass to be refillable! be worse. We look to our history for
are jesters. They are comedians. They So, keep forwarding those jokes Over the past year and a half we examples of how we coped in the past.
are entertainers. They bring joy to peo- via email, tell those funny stories, have learned new skills. We take Zoom Temple Beth Israel now has in-per-
ple who appear to be sad or depressed. watch a rerun on Zoom with someone for granted. We should celebrate the son services with social distancing
The Talmud teaches that bringing a who is alone, and please don’t be afraid ability to attend meetings if we are out along with livestreaming. We have
smile or laughter to others is an action to be silly from time to time. Never un- of town or not quite up to leaving the instituted serious safety requirements.
that merits a place in Olam HaBa. Our derestimate the reward and power held house. Temple Beth Israel of Longboat We are doing all we can to refill the
Sages note the benefit to the person in a laugh. Key is livestreaming! This innovation glass. We thank the Eternal One for
made to laugh, a cheerful feeling. They is necessary and revolutionary for us. giving us the scientific minds and spir-
Just a little over five years ago the idea itual wisdom that will guide us through
was vigorously rejected. For those of these challenging times.
Opinions printed in The Jewish News of Sarasota-Manatee
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