Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
This week the last corona hospital department in Israel closed. I heard this news as I was unpacking boxes from New York that I had packed during the first days of the pandemic.
When we went on a mission (שליחות) to New York I took a few books with me . Among them was a small book of Psalms with "To all your prayers, Amen" inscribed in gold letters on the cover. It was a gift from Gidi Gov, a popular Israeli singer, that he gave me when we finished a series of television broadcasts. Gidi did not know what gift to give me. His wife Anat Gov of blessed memory had recommended that he give me this gift together with the inscription. I was deeply moved by the gift and this book of Psalms accompanied me for years, even when I went to New York.
I remember when a special day of prayer was announced with the outbreak of the pandemic. I took the book of Psalms with me to the Ohel (grave) of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. I had intended to pray there but it was no longer permitted to enter the area and I had to pray outside.
Several days later, we were already on the way back to Israel. There was a worldwide lockdown and everything froze. We packed up during several hectic hours but our books and other items were left behind.
Drs. Ilana and Roni Kastner from our Five Towns neighborhood volunteered to box up all of our things that remained behind and they were stored in their attic for the last three years.
Last week we were in New York and went there to retrieve our things. In the first box that I opened I found the book of Psalms. The last time I opened it, I prayed out of concern for a quick end to the mysterious pandemic that plagued the entire world. This week I opened it to Psalm 100, the famous "Mizmor LeToda" (Song for a Thanksgiving offering). We have moved on from the pandemic, but with the news of its official end it seems appropriate to stop for a moment and give thanks.
