How I got Covid-19 I’ll never know. They say it’s a sneaky virus. It must be. But I tested positive and the reason I even went for the test in the first place (my fifth) is because I had chills going to bed which lasted just four hours. Now I’ve got no fever, no headache, no breathing issue, just a bit tired and achy. So, I’ll stay holed-up for a bunch of days, something I do not relish. Of course, I’ll now have the chance to move from an “occasional” word back to a “daily” one IF I have the koakh (“strength,” pronounced KO-ach) to even do that.

I’m glad I had the koakh to participate in our program with Staunton’s Temple House of Israel this morning. There were about 30 people discussing The Color of Love. Truth be told, I was pleased with the number, but not the percent of H’burgers compared to Stauntonites. Anyway, I hope to schedule another such discussion in another couple of months. I think it’s a good idea for the Jews of the mid-Shenandoah Valley to communicate every now and then, especially considering the relationship you once had. If you’ve got a suggestion for a discussion let me know.

I’m looking at the calendar and cannot believe we’re at the end of January already. As I know you think as do I, one day has blended with the one before and the one after; one month has done the same with another. It’s a strange feeling indeed but all things considered we are in a better place than we were within this past year.

The thing is I’m not sure if one can say that “time flies.” It’s something different under these circumstances, something I personally cannot define.

It made me realize – as does this Covid diagnosis – that we can never ever take life for granted. In this, my Bar Mitzvah anniversary Torah portion, we read about that last plague. We realize that our enemies, the Egyptians, cry like we all do when death pays a visit, especially if it visits our children. And then we consider the staggering figure of over 400,000 deaths from Covid during this past year, what it means relative to those who died in our wars, and we place in our consciousness all those people who suffered a loss, losses for some, often unable to be with their loved ones in their final moments.

Have we ever had a “moment” such as this in our history? Probably not, but one thing is for certain: please, may we never have a moment like this again!