Archive: Opinions

I am uncharacteristically writing this editorial a few days early, on Erev Pesach, the day before Passover, which begins at sundown this evening (Wednesday).  Passover is an important Jewish holiday that celebrates the story of Moses leading the Jews out of ancient Egypt to freedom.  But before they could leave they had to convince Pharaoh Ramses II to let them go.  That job fell largely to God, who imposed 10 plagues on Egypt.

The Passover service recounts ten plagues: water turning into blood, frogs, lice or gnats, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of firstborn Egyptians.  The firstborn children of Jews were spared if they sacrificed a lamb to God and painted their doorposts with the lamb's blood.  I've been thinking I should do that this afternoon.  Because COVID-19 certainly seems like a plague sent from God!

No one is immune from the effects of this coronavirus.  If we don't personally know someone who has tested positive for the virus, there are plenty of famous people -- folks we thought were protected by television and movie screens from the travails we unanointed folk in the audience suffer.  Among those who have contracted the coronavirus are actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, US Senator Rand Paul, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Prince Charles and United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson, singer P!nk and her three year old son, actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dhowre, actress Debi Mazar, television host Andy Cohen, athlete Sean Payton, New York Knicks owner James Dolan, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, singer Jackson Browne.  Among celebrities that have died from COVID-19 are playwright Terrence McNally, singer-songwriters John Prine and Adam Schlesinger, and footwear designer Sergio Rossi.

And that was the beginning 40 years traversing the desert on its way to the Promised Land.  During this time Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights on Mount Sinai, receiving the Ten Commandments from God.  At the end of the trek Moses was barred from the Promised Land. My wife explains that this is why I hate camping.  40 years hiking in the desert?  Enough is enough!

It took 26 days for all ten plagues to take place, plus an amount of time the Bible does not specify for the plagues -- some people speculate a total of 50 days -- to take effect.  After the last plague Ramses let the Jews go, but they had to vamoose before he changed his mind.  That is why we have matzoh on Passover instead of leavened bread.  They had to leave right away, so there was no time for the dough to rise.  And Pharoah did change his mind.  Couldn't the guy take a hint?

The first COVID-19 case was reported in China last November 17, 143 days ago.  The first confirmed COVID-19 case in New York State was March 1st.  Governor Cuomo put New York State on 'Pause" March 22.  So for us you could loosely say for us the plague has been with us for 38 days, and we have been isolated for 17 of them.  Let's hope this one plague doesn't take as long as all ten biblical plagues did... although, if I'm honest, it looks like it will be with us for longer.

By the way, some conservative religious leaders are seriously claiming that the coronavirus was sent by God to punish us for whatever they happen to have an agenda against. One conservative Tennessee pastor calimed the pandemic is a "reckoning from God for marriage equality and abortion".  In March An Israeli Orthodox rabbi and another American pastor both claimed that coronavirus was divine punishment for allowing LGBTQ people to exist.  It is hard to fathom why any religious leader would use a global pandemic to attack groups of people who are not like them.  Isn't the coronavirus bad enough all by itself?  It seems like a few comforting words -- or just shutting up -- are what is called for.

Still that kind of vitriol and the conspiracy theorists who shun social distancing because they believe COVID-19 is a hoax are part of what makes such a global pandemic a disaster.  It not only attacks our bodies, but also our souls.

As for me, I'm not blaming anyone.  Although... hmmm... I have been thinking about maybe moving out of state...

Maybe if I petition the Governor to let my people go... all this will end?

OK, I'm off to find a lamb now...

v16i15