Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
What exactly are we supposed to do in the middle of this mess? The easiest path to take would be not only to enter isolation, but become apathetic and despair. What do we do in the face of this corona that has not disappeared as we expected? In the face of governments, bureaucracies, and institutions that do not function as well as we would like? And what are we supposed to do during the period of “between the straits” that begins this week and brings us to Tisha B’Av, to destruction and mourning?
The Haftarah that we read on Shabbat gives us a profound answer. In one verse, the prophet Micah formulates what it’s all about. You want to know the proper path? You want to know what God requires of you?
“He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you; only to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
This is just one sentence but it gives direction for an entire lifetime: to do justice, to love kindness and to do great things but with humility and faith in God. During days in which we sometimes feel there is nothing to do, the Haftarah reminds us that there is a lot to do, constantly.
The above words are dedicated to the elevation of the soul of Michael Ben Zikri, who drowned to death on Friday while rescuing and saving four others from drowning.
