The Formula to Defeat Coronavirus
The world continues to reel from Corona, economies are in shambles, and everyone is doing everything they can to end this nightmare, except the one thing…
Israel is now one of the most infested places on earth.
Our technology has failed us. Our new peace treaties have proven useless. Even the lockdowns are not working. We did one half a year ago and now it’s ten times worse. All of our leaders are frantically trying a way to get us out of this mess.
As we all scratch our heads, a million people in Israel are trapped. They don’t have work. They have bleak prospects until the lockdown ends. Not only are they trapped in their homes, they are trapped in a situation where money is going out, and uncertainty is coming in.
I have no doubt that the people in charge are doing everything they can to end this nightmare. The problem is that we all have been constantly missing the most critical element of the formula to defeat Corona.
The Almighty G-d Himself.
Is This Why He is Closing the Shuls?
In the Haftorah of Yom Kippur, Hashem admonishes us about sacrifices not backed up by action. What’s the point in offering up a farm’s load of cattle when we will simply go back to lying, cheating, and lusting the moment we are done?
Hashem wants the heart. He wants the effort. Unless a fast is accompanied with acts of regret, remorse, and repentance, it impact is limited.
Is this the lesson?
Why does He need us in Shul if all we will do is go home Monday night after the fast, order a mess of pizza, and binge watch something that undoes everything we experienced just hours before?
It is our leaders that are telling us how to get out if this mess: Follow the rules.
Even if you can get away with breaking them, we all still feel the consequences. A wedding with 1,000 people will spread corona just the same as 500 people at the beach. Even if the cops didn’t find you, the plague did.
It is up to each and every one of us to do our part to save Israel.
The same applies to serving Hashem. We can get away with flaunting the mitzvot and it may appear that we didn’t have to bear the consequences, but Hashem sees and Hashem knows – and sins inevitably bear their consequences eventually.
Now, there is no more time for delayed consequences, because Hashem wants to redeem us already.
Rabbi Arush said clearly in a class last night: Hashem is no longer letting go! G-d is saying to the Jewish people: You must be holy, because I am holy! Who is with G-d? And who is not! Choose now!
The Real Corona Results
Since the last lockdown, some cities legalized public transportation on Shabbat. Other cities recognized same sex marriage on a local level. Public officials terrorizing our Torah communities has gotten worse.
Our “hi-tech” solutions have only made Israel more infested than Modagishu, Somalia. So much for science.
If we want to end this, each one of us must make improvements. Our lives have been irrevocably changed – there will be no returning to the lives we once knew. If you don’t believe me, there have been many hidden tzaddikim all saying the same thing: There is no returning to the old routine. The process bringing the redemption has been started, and it cannot be stopped!
Once we accept this, we can make one of two decisions: Let the world around us dictate how and when we will change, or decide for ourselves who we will be in this new normal.
Producing the Winning Formula
Here are some simple ways to deploy our greatest weapon against suffering: Torah and serving G-d, and all forms of increasing our holiness:
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1. Light candles for Shabbat at the correct time, then share a beautiful meal for Shabbat with the family. Recite the blessing over the bread and the wine.
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2. Dedicate one hour each day to Torah. It can be something simple like business ethics, the Land of Israel, or Jewish stories.
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3. Recite the entire Shema every morning, word by word, without rushing.
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4. Recite Psalms – in your own language or in Hebrew if you can.
If you want something more challenging, try these:
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1. Take all magazines, posters, and other physical material full of lustful things and throw them into the garbage. Get rid of any and all pictures of women you have around your house or computer.
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2. Get a strong internet filter, and switch out your smart phone for a kosher phone, or if not available in your area or if you must have SMS for work, a simple phone with data turned off and only basic SMS. Really, the world will continue without Whatsapp! Rabbi Arush says this one thing is the greatest act of teshuva a person in our generation can possibly do!
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3. Set timers – no more than one hour a day on Internet and social media.
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4. Reduce your TV watching to 1 hour or less.
If you are ready for iron man, get ready to shake the heavens actions:
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1. Call 3 people every day on Zoom or Skype and ask about their life. Just listen.
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2. Compliment 10 people online about something they did or said.
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3. Smile at everyone!
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4. Stop talking politics, and stop looking at the news through whatever channel you usually read. The news is full of lies which make you anxious and stressed. Enjoy a life without worry! Fill yourself instead with emuna that G-d alone is doing everything, and for a good reason too – and anything you need to know, Hashem will make sure that you find out about it. Many have done it, and all have seen incredible results.
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5. Men start guarding your eyes, and women start dressing modestly. Learn all about it in Rabbi Arush’s books and in the Holiness for Men and Women category online. And most importantly – ask Hashem to help you in your own words for at least a few minutes every day.
Don’t forget: Corona, and all of its consequences, are here to make us realize that this exile has gotten far too uncomfortable to bear, and to pressure and squeeze us to start calling and crying for Hashem to come redeem the Jewish people. So start praying for Moshiach, who will rule with great wisdom and mercy, and reveal that the real ruler is G-d Himself, the King of Kings.
These are amazing things we all can do that will complete our national efforts to fight Corona, and with Hashem’s help, satisfy our Creator’s requirement that we do something better this year to merit His healing the earth. Whatever you do, however big or small – DO SOMETHING!
May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for 5781 and say goodbye to Corona and hello to Moshiach Ben David, the full Redemption, and the rebuilding of the Third Holy Temple in Jerusalem, amen!
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David Ben Horin lives in Israel with his wife and children.
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