A world In chaos - but the Passover Holiday goes on
A world In chaos - but the Passover Holiday goes on

We all recognize that, world over, we are living in one of the most unpredictable, terrible, and catastrophic times in terms of world history.  Never in our recollection has there been such sickness, fear, and deaths takings place.  Perhaps the story of Noah and the flood has a deeper and newer meaning for us on Mother Earth.

Some of us wonder if there will a better tomorrow, while others are busy denying the enormous impact and consequences of what is taking place.  Some are praying, while others are hiding in their homes, evaluating the meaning of life and the need to do something.

For some, the beginning of the problem is food and jobs, for others it is shelter and housing.  Then there are those who lack an understanding of the law of supply and demand. They have minimized the ongoing tragedies and are busy hoarding toilet paper!

Enough stated!  But what should we do?

I believe that we have an opportunity to perform acts of kindness on a level that has never ever been demanded from us.  The help that we do and continue to perform has never been so demanding and altruistic.  People reaching out to the poor, the elderly, and the infirm have become the norm.  First responders are our new heroes and are examples of true goodness.

Governments, armies, world leaders, presidents, kings, ministers, each with their own personal agendas, are opening their borders of secrecy with the hope that, through a collective effort, they will find a way to save our world from this unimaginable horror. Just this week Moscow sent a full plane full of medical supplies to the USA.  Prayerfully other countries will reach out and help each other where possible.

The Jewish nation has a special Mitzvah in helping the world. Our Father in Heaven, took us out of a world of suffering thousands of years ago.  That mass exodus from Egypt made us a people who are a “Light unto the nations”.  It is the holiday of Passover when the Jewish people collectively gather and read the story of redemption in the Haggadah.  We read the message of hope and freedom.

That message is a message to all citizens of the world.  We all need Our Father in Heaven to save each and every one of us, and we, in turn, need to be a light unto the world.  As the holiday begins Wednesday night, the eighth of April, we remember that we are all in this together.  

May we all merit to witness the miracles of health, salvation, and Freedom.

Rabbi Eli Hecht is vice–president of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and past–president of the Rabbinical Council of California. He is the director of Chabad of South Bay in Lomita, CA which houses a synagogue, day school, nursery school and chaplaincy programs.