Facebook Post by Rabbi Perlin in the Time of Coronavirus (3/27/2020)
Friday Post 3/27/20: The Sacrifice of Well-Being
by Rabbi Amy R. Perlin, D.D.
(A poetic interpretation of the weekly portion Vayikra- Leviticus 3)
So many sacrifices. Enough to fill pages of a Bible.
Too many sacrifices some say, and I would agree.
The only one that ever spoke to me was the
Zevach Shelamim – the sacrifice of well-being.
And it speaks to me now.
Not the altar or its smoke, but the words:
“Sacrifice of well-being”
They jump from the text and call to me.
For there are so many sacrifices:
Sheltering in place, in isolation, in fear,
Sacrificing time with loved ones, friends,
Sacrificing life as it once was for life as it has to be
For well-being.
Let there be well-being this Shabbat.
Let the partisanship and arrogance give way to humility and action
Let there be action motivated by a vision of well-being for all –
All people, young and old, vulnerable and strong,
Wherever they live and whatever their need.
Let there be well-being this Shabbat
For those who are weary and those who are worn out
For those who are losing livelihoods
And those who are losing loved ones.
Let there be well-being for those doing God’s work:
The caregivers and caretakers, the selfless civil servants,
The clergy and the clerks, the crucial and the committed.
Let the sacrifices of the many – for the many and the few
Lead to the well-being of a global community besieged by plague
And death, and ignorance and arrogance,
May those who sacrifice know their sacrifice has meaning,
And those who ask for sacrifice realize how devastating is their request
To life, to living, to normalcy.
Let there be well-being from the sacrifice, and the pain.
Let there be well-being this Shabbat.
Peace of mind and heart, if just for a few moments or hours,
As the earth keeps turning, and the afflicted keep growing,
And the disquiet keeps moving through our lives.
Let there be well-being from the sacrifices made so far
And the ones yet to come.
And when we have made all the sacrifices of well-being we can make.
Please, God, let there be light once again.