Just a couple of thoughts from this parasha, & a song from the north African Ladino tradition.
<big>First,</big> that Maimonides taught that G-d instituted many laws as temporary measures after the Exodus, because it would have been impossibly hard for people to suddenly change everything about how they lived before. They needed time to grow into new ways.
An illustration Maimonides offered was that all mammals are born needing their mothers’ milk at first. This might be called a law of nature; but from individual point of view, including individual human, it’s temporary, for that phase of life.
It may be that wearing masks will turn out to be permanently valuable. We can’t know yet.
But in some major cities in the world, people decades ago learned to wear masks in daily life anytime air quality was bad or there was even a minor airborne contagion actively going around, such as cold or flu.
Helping keep ourselves and our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers safe by wearing masks and washing hands a lot, and so on, obviously are things we can do to repair the world together, as it is now. Whether it’s temporary, or something we have to learn to grow into.
<big>Secondly,</big> the initial verses in this parsha describe a statute to keep a light burning throughout the dark hours of night, every night, until morning dawns. Another illustration and reminder of things worth doing each on our own, too, maybe just on faith, to repair the world.
:) There’s even an organization for that, for anyone who needs somewhere to volunteer.
Have a good week, shavua tov, gutte voch,
and Buena Semana (an ancient Ladino song for Havdalah)
<big><big>Buena Semana </big></big>lyrics from Flory Jagoda, this rendition (there are other verses as well, not sung here, and in some versions, “salud i vida” is instead “salud i alegre” — health and happiness.)
Buena semana muz de el Dyo
May God grant us a good week,
Buena semana muz de el Dyo
May God grant us a good week,
Buena semana muz de el Dyo, Salud i vida.
May God grant us a good week, Health and life.
.
Ke miz fijus vengan al Kal
May my children come to Synagogue,
Ke miz fijus vengan al Kal
May my children come to Synagogue,
Para maldar la Tora, To study the Torah,
Salud i vida. Health and life
.
Para maldar kon Talasim, To pray with Tallit,
Para maldar kon Talasim, To pray with Tallit,
Para trayer loz Teffilin, And bring the Tefillin,
Salud i vida. Health and life.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/buena-semana-good-week.html