Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Tuesday September 15 
Today is the twenty sixth day of Elul!
Now that RH is quickly approaching my kids have been singing “dip the apple in the honey” or “tapuchim bidvash l’Rosh Hashanna…” and it  never ceases to bring a huge smile to my face...perhaps even a bigger smile than the sweet taste of the honey itself!  There is so much we can learn from the practice of eating honey on Rosh Hashanna.  This year, in the midst of COVID, there is one additional lesson that is worth mentioning.  Behavioral Ecologists who have studied social interactions in honey bees, see parallels between life in the hive and efforts to manage COVID-19 in densely populated settings. Although honey bees live in conditions that aren’t conducive to social distancing, they have developed unique ways to deal with disease by collectively working to keep the colony healthy.  As we approach RH this year, we must do exactly the same.  We must individually and collectively practice caution, safety, and social distancing not just for ourselves but for the sake of everyone around us.  It is only through our combined collective efforts that we will be able to keep our “colony” safe!  I hope our efforts in this regard will not only keep us safe but be a sign to Hashem of just how much we value the life that He gave us and the life that He gave to others with the hope that He will grant us much, much, much more life in the year to come!