Rabbi Debra Landsberg, Temple Emanu-El

Isolation and plagues. Every Pesach we recount the plagues and recall God’s fearsome power. Yet this year, we are acutely aware of another aspect of the Pesach story: remaining at home in isolation was an essential part of what kept our ancestors safe (Exodus 12:22).

Isolation’s protective power against danger runs through our texts and our history. On the same page of Talmud in which there is detailed argument about the nature of a plague that the rabbis experienced in their lifetime (BT Shabbat 33b), we encounter the story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Shimon bar Yochai endured years of isolation in a cave to protect himself from the Roman regime which sought his death.  His story (though not about a plague) offers us guidance in our time of isolation: 1. he filled his time with Torah, and 2. he was only allowed to re-enter the world when he could interact with people with compassion.

Isolation can challenge each of us to the core. Yet our history and our Torah teach us that redemption is not just God’s miracles in days past. We can transform our isolation with living Torah. Every call we make to someone who is in need,every tech tutorial we can offer, every extra penny of tzedakah, every compassionate word is an expression of Torah: All Israel is responsible for one another (BT Shevuot 39a). This Pesach as we remember how God redeems us, may we also remember our power to help redeem others.