“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Tazria
4 Nissan 5784/ April 12, 2024
This week’s Musings is lovingly dedicated in memory of my Sabbah, Mr.
Abe Staum, R’ Avrohom Yosef ben R’ Naftali Herz haLevi z”l, upon his yahrtzeit
tonight, 4 Nissan.
WHAT WAS WON’T BE
There have been some strange and unusual events the last few weeks.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in March 1977 to carry the
Baltimore Beltway (I-695) across the Patapsco River. The bridge bears an
estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually.
On March 26, 2024, a cargo vessel leaving the Port of Baltimore had a
complete power blackout and collided with one of the main spans of the bridge
causing the bridge to collapse into the river below.
A little over a week later, an earthquake rattled the tristate area.
There’s a lot of dangers and challenges that we expect living in the tristate
area; earthquakes are not one of them. The question everyone was asking
afterwards was, “Where were you during the earthquake?” and “Did you feel it?”
Many said that although they felt rumblings or saw walls shaking, they
didn’t dream that it was actually an earthquake.
Four days later, there was a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when
the Moon passes directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the view of
the Sun, partially or completely. Although there should be a solar eclipse
every month, because the Moon does not have a perfectly circular orbit, it is
unusual. The next solar eclipse will be on August 23, 2044.
Is there any commonality between a bridge collapsing, an earthquake, and
a solar eclipse?
We like when things are predictable. When the unexpected occurs, we feel
blind-sighted and unprepared to deal with the consequences.
In June 1927, the night before a solar eclipse, the elderly Chofetz Chaim
told the crowd that had gathered for maariv, “Hashem has implanted in his
creation the phenomenon of a solar eclipse, as a means of refuting those
misguided souls, who believe in other immortal powers. The time comes when the
sun is eclipsed, so that we all know and internalize - the sun is a creation
and not a creator!
“It’s a mitzvah for us all to come and see with our own eyes… it’s only a
mortal chunk of creation.”
Every day the sun rises and the sun sets. What was yesterday will be
again tomorrow…. until it isn’t. The solar eclipse is a reminder that there is
a power above nature, and everything is subject to change on a whim.
Bridges are a testament to human accomplishment. Raging rivers flow
through cities, cutting off byways and highways. Human ingenuity and
engineering produce mighty bridges that stand majestically atop the river,
allowing traffic to continue unimpeded atop the flowing waters. But when a
bridge collapses in moments, it reminds us that human accomplishment has its
limits.
It hardly needs to be said that an earthquake is the ultimate reminder of
human vulnerability and helplessness. The solid bedrock we build our lives upon
and trust for stability, are mere plates in the Hands of our Creator.
The events of the past weeks remind us that what was is not necessarily
what will be.
On September 11, 2001, at 8 am, no one could have dreamed that by noon
the twin towers would be reduced to a pile of smoking rubble.
In March 2020, no one could have dreamed that virtually overnight the
world would be subsumed by a pandemic that would disrupt all civilization and
claim over a million lives.
On Hoshana Rabbah 2023 no one could have imagined that the following day
a nightmare would ensue for the Jewish people that we still don’t know how it
will end.
On the night of the Seder, there is a custom to eat round matzos. Round
matzah symbolizes the natural order of the world, in that it follows a
predictable repetitive pattern. At the Seder, before beginning to relate the
details of Yetzias Mitzrayim, we perform Yachatz breaking the middle matzah.
Doing so reminds us that at the time of redemption Hashem overrode His own
rules of nature and performed numerous miracles to redeem His people. It also
reminds us, that as effortlessly as we break the matzah, so can and does Hashem
override nature as He sees fit.
Recounting the events of the exodus reminds us that just because it’s
been a certain way for so long doesn’t mean it will remain that way.
The pasuk (Iyov 28:3) states, “He made an end to darkness, and He fathoms
every end…”
Pesach not only celebrates liberation of long ago, but also reminds us
that no matter how unlikely it seems, the future can always be better. The
mighty Pharaohs of yesterday will be destroyed by the rising sun of redemption.
Shabbat Shalom
& Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and
Chani Staum
stamtorah@gmail.com
