Shevii Shel Pesach - 5780 - What The Maidservant Can See

Pesach 5780 – Shevii shel Pesach

Rabbi Shaanan Gelman

 "What the Maidservant Can See"

Jessica Meir is one of those incredibly impressive individuals  a NASA astronaut, marine biologist, and physiologist. She was previously Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, following postdoctoral research in comparative physiology at the University of British Columbia.^[1][2] She has studied the diving physiology and behavior of emperor penguins in Antarctica

(She matriculated at Brown University, taught at Harvard, studied oceanography and of course in the International Space University)
Her Thesis Blood oxygen transport and depletion: The key of consummate divers 

She has an expertise in how species fare when coming from one environment and suddenly being thrusted into an entirely different one. 

On top of all of her achievements – she’s an astronaut and was a part of the first ever “all female spacewalk”

Dr. Meir is currently on a mission with Nasa on the international space station, she has been there since September 25^th and is slated to return on April 17^th, in two days time from today.

Dr. Meir, an authority on transitions from one environment to another – will be making the most jarring reentry to Earth ever accomplished by an astronaut.

She left when the world was normal – the news that day was filled with talk about Baseball, Adam Schiff was trending on Twitter about Ukraine and the impeachment talks were building momentum. 

It was the third day of the Fall season and the economy was booming.

And most of the world had never heard of coronavirus.

She will be reintegrating into a world that has completely changed.

A few week’s ago – she had the most unique vantage point on the world – she observed it in all of its majesty from space – what kind of world will she observe when she reenters Earth’s atmosphere?

No amount of training, wisdom, experience can dictate how we will navigate in the new world.

What Now?  After Pesach?  Not so much when do we get back to life as usual, but rather – what is life going to be like – what is Jewish life going to be like?

Maybe though – a fresh pair of eyes is exactly what is needed – in the moment:

I want to share an incredible mmamar Chazal with you:

ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראה יחזקאל בן בוזי (מכילתא דשירה ג, ד"ה זה אלי).

A lowly maidservant at the yam suf saw that which the greatest of prophets couldn’t!

What is this well-known midrash teaching us? 

It’s that extraordinary times – turns ordinary people into extraordinary people.

The heroes we knew on September 25^th of last year were politicians, athletes, actors and actresses – now they are nurses, doctors, delivery workers, parents, friends…

This crisis – this kriyas yam suf has torn apart the very fabric of our lives – how do you walk through these waters?

We can’t turn to a seasoned prophet in this moment – because nobody knows the answers – but we do turn to the שפחה על הים – someone who understands the need for flexibility, adaptability, growth and personal change. 

We are laying eyes upon a new world – a paradigm shift.

What will weddings and bar mitzvahs, kiddushes look like? 

We always thought that every problem has the same solution – but the old tricks don’t work anymore – we need a fresh pair of eyes-

What did the average person at Yam Suf learn –

That there is more than one way to get through water –

How am I going to view parenting after this?  What about finances – are we going to obsess over it as we have in the past?  Maybe now we appreciate the role of poskim like Harav Schachter, Rav Asher Weiss and other leaders – whose daily responsa are holding us up –

Maybe there’s another person in our orbit whom weve been ignoring neglecting or have gone underappreciated – with a fresh pair of eyes – we see a different world now!

Perhaps the lavish kiddush, or wedding really wasn’t so important – and the fights with bar mitzvah boys to complete every Aliyah, to daven every tefilla, the machlokes with your machatonim over the matter of an 8 piece orchaestra or a 12 piece orchaestra or who gets to host the young couple for Pesach this year..we need to rethink all of this, because we are in a new world.

And if you don’t know what to do – find the simplest person in your life – ask them

Children are the ones who tell us what letter we are reading out of the Torah when there is a safeik, the Gemara is replete with stories of prophecy being accorded to the children (פסוק לי פסוקיך) there is a blessing in all of this – and maybe it’s the opportunity to re-emerge into a world that is new – to start from scratch…like a שפחה על הים.

I hope you see that new way forward and take that path – for surely it is leading us someplace wondrous and better.