Bubbles

10/21/2022

This week, we pressed the reset button on the year. Luckily, we were able to do some good work before the chaggim, but nevertheless, it’s always hard to start from the beginning, Bereishit.

We never realized the extent of our social bubble until this past holiday. On the last day, Simchat Torah, we went on a post light lunch walk. The weather was magnificent and we welcomed the opportunity to stretch and catch up with each other.

As we walked along Central Avenue, we noticed an older grey haired woman and a young girl, maybe a granddaughter, trying to open the door of a popular local deli, Traditions. No matter how hard they pulled, it stayed closed. “Excuse me, do you know when this place will open?” inquired the older lady.

I responded, “It’s closed, today is a holiday.” “Holiday?” she asked. “I’m Jewish and I don’t know.” I told her that it was Simchat Torah and that everything is closed.

“Oh, we have a layover from the airport and we googled ‘Places To Eat Locally’ and this place came up. I was hankering for a good deli sandwich,” the lady responded.

For some reason, I took a moment to take in my surroundings; usually busy and bustling Central Ave, was a ghost town, it was deserted. Following my lead, the woman looked around and realized that not just Traditions but everything was closed, just about every single store, Shomer Shabbos owners or not, shut!

We directed her to the one open Italian pizza store down the block.

On a random Tuesday in the real world it would be a day of work and business as usual; but not within this bubble in my little corner of the world.

We were in holiday mode and celebrating our beloved Torah.

After the holiday, I called my daughter Rachel in Israel to share this story. Well, she had a story for me. In Israel, citizens celebrate one day, not two, of chag. Our granddaughter Penina, going about her business shopping and appointments, observed hordes of tourists celebrating their second day of chag as they would need to if they were back home.

Penina felt surreal, caught between two worlds, life at home, Israel, and the greater Jewish community living in the diaspora. She told her mother of her real cognitive dissonance in trying to balance what was real.

Another bubble.

While it is safe and cozy to live within the comfortable bubbles that we have created for ourselves, we must always stay aware of the world outside. Closing our eyes to the threats to our environment, pervasive antisemitism, bully behavior in children and adults, and ignoring events in Israel, will not make them go away.

As we press that reset button, we must keep in mind how lucky we are to have the privilege of choice. We must choose to be actively aware of our blessings and responsibilities both inside and outside of our bubbles.

Shabbat Shalom.