WHAT DAY IS IT? IS IT ONLY WEDNESDAY ? I THOUGHT IT WAS THURSDAY… I JUST WANT SHABBAT TO COME !

It is not clear to me when this melding of days began. Was it with the sleep disruption, since at our age, we are lucky if we actually sleep through the night, and those middle of the night alarms completely displace the rhythm, and make it almost impossible to get back to sleep. Is it the endless babysitting that we grandparents need to provide? Schools have been closed now for the third week. Zoom School? Another disappointment for the children, and highly ineffective. Now with not much more than a week away, Pesach vacation is upon us, which means that the children will have been out of the classroom for more than one month! Add to that, how to clean for Pesach with the pitter patter of small and big feet around the house all the time? No need for a feather and a candle to find the chometz this year. Chometz is everywhere as cookie crumbs, bread crumbs abound with bored children unable to play outside for fear of sirens and worse.

Once again, as with COVID, and as with the October 7 War, Shabbat has once again become a very quiet affair. Shul attendance is restricted to 50 people, and Shabbat invitations are self limited to nearby neighbors with a Mamad. It’s hard to get dressed up just to stay in the apartment all day.

And then, there are those who are now housing children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, friends who live in old buildings all over Israel that are without a Mamad or a nearby shelter. It brings a new meaning to the term “family gatherings”.

The question always remains “how much should I be watching the news?” Options include having the television on all the time, limiting oneself to a media outlet once every hour, once every four hours, twice a day, or just to have the cell phone on constantly to be aware of every single alert throughout the country. My practice, that has provided me with a semblance of sanity, has been to check every three or four hours, but… and this is an important one… never check before you go to sleep. That happened last night- the opportunity to see the horrific attack that occurred in both Dimona and Arad. No way to get any restful sleep after that!

But I cannot and do not complain. There are the families whose husbands (and wives) are in Miluim for months on end, and who rely on other family members for help with housing, children, food, cooking, babysitting. For many, those supports are not available, and they have no money to get along at all. Sadly, there are too many of the latter.

And how about those that are displaced from the North, and have now been moved south… and now, there are those from the south in Arad and Dimona who will be moved … to where?

But through it all, we are still willing to take the hits. The signs say it all, “ We have no other land”. Everyday we are blessed with an army, air force and navy that together with Hashem do the Herculean job of protecting us. Yes there have been mistakes, yes there have been tragedies, but we all know it could have been much worse. This is a long slog. We will get through this, but not without some really bad bruises. But life goes on… births, brises, Bat Mitzvahs, Bar Mitzvahs, weddings. And let us not forget about Pesach! Okay… the house may not be pristine, the Sedarim might not be as we imagined… and definitely not for us… with Pesach programs cancelled, flights from the US cancelled, but the Seder will go on.

You want to help? Come to Israel, as soon as you can, and don’t be scared. It is easier to be here than one might imagine… and support our soldiers, and our hospitals, MDA, and other agencies that provide services to those in need who have given of their time, energy, and with their lives. Let them be the recipients of all your love, devotion, and energy.

Chag Kasher Ve Sameach!

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)