I know, I know! You saw the two words “Ma Nishtana” and wondered why I would bring up the holiday of Passover when we’re on the cusp of Rosh Hashana - the Jewish New Year?
If you continued to read, you would see that I changed the words that follow; so instead of “Why is this night different from all other nights?”, it reads “Why is this year different from all other years?” And if I wanted to be even more specific, I might have said, “What will make this coming year different from all other years?”
A good question, I think, for us to contemplate together as we approach this most important season in our calendar.
There is no area in which this coming year will be different from last year than with covid-19. President Biden took some heat for declaring that the pandemic is over and perhaps he could have chosen his language more carefully.
The truth, however, is that daily deaths due to other causes such as heart disease, cancer, influenza and stroke exceed the daily mortality rate due to covid-19. Daily deaths from Alzheimer’s disease, lower respiratory disease and diabetes are close to the daily covid-19 mortality rate.
Does that mean that we shouldn’t be concerned about covid? Of course not! But just think about it: in a little over two years, effective vaccines and boosters were produced that have had a profound positive impact on preventing infection and minimizing deaths due to covid.
If you think about the multiple billions of dollars spent over many decades researching and coming up with treatments for other serious diseases: heart disease, diabetes and cancer among them, diseases which unfortunately seem to be with us for the long haul, it’s truly incredible how the scientific and medical world has been able to combat the coronavirus.
It goes without saying that every death is tragic, every loss of life saddens us.
But there comes a time when we have to look at the facts and come to the conclusion that while the coronavirus is with us to stay - as is influenza, pneumonia, and any other number of illnesses for which we receive vaccinations - it’s a heck of a lot better than it was a year or so ago.
Let’s be realistic: while some things have changed, like having to wear a mask in the doctor’s office (and that’s not going away any time soon, if ever,) our lives have, for the most part, returned to a semblance of the normalcy which we enjoyed (but maybe didn’t fully appreciate) before the pandemic hit. Restaurants, the travel industry, education have in large part returned to where they were in years prior.
That, my friends, is cause for celebration. Be careful? Yes! Get vaccinated and boosted? Yes! Be respectful of the precautions others take? Of course!
But most of all, be grateful. Grateful to have come through the pandemic, grateful to scientists, to physicians, to the healthcare community and to all those who have done their best to keep us safe and healthy. Grateful for the opportunity to go through the annual process of self-examination and reflection which is a cornerstone of this High Holiday season. Perhaps most of all, we should be grateful for a faith that anchors us both in good times and in bad, a faith to which we can turn for strength, for consolation and for inspiration.
May this coming year bring each of us good health, good fortune and a continuing sense of purpose in all that we do.
And yes, may the New Year also bring us continued success in combatting the coronavirus which has so permeated our lives for too long.
Shana Tova Umetuka - a Good and Sweet New Year to each of you.