Living and dying in the times of corona – Greater Kashmir

Last few weeks have exposedcertain pathological attitudes we have been living with including thefollowing:

A few statements from his God in Search for Man today, leaving his more detailed treatment of the theme in In The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Manfor future. For Heschel Sabbath is the art of surpassing civilization and preview of heaven the incomplete form of the world to come is the Sabbath. What shall one be doing in heaven if not rest and chant or sing to hearts content? And Sabbath is a reminder of every mans royalty; an abolition of the distinction of master and slave, rich and poor, success and failure. To celebrate the Sabbath is to experience ones ultimate independence of civilization and society, of achievement and anxiety. The Sabbath is an embodiment of the belief that all men are equal and that equality of men means the nobility of men. The greatest sin of man is to forget that he is a prince. During lockdown we are all princes, not paupers as it is civilization that defines a pauper. The Sabbath is an assurance that the spirit is greater than the universe, that beyond the good is the holyThe Sabbath is holiness in time. ..The presence of eternity, a moment of majesty, the radiance of joy. The soul is enhanced, time is a delight, and inwardness a supreme reward. Indignation is felt to be a desecration of the day, and strife the suicide of ones additional soul.

Six days a week we are engagedin conquering the forces of nature, in the arts of civilization. The seventhday is dedicated to the remembrance of creation and the remembrance ofredemptionto the exodus from a great civilization into a wilderness wherethe word of God was given. By our acts of labor during the six days weparticipate in the works of history; by sanctifying the seventh day we arereminded of the acts that surpass, ennoble and redeem history.

Civilization is on trial. Itsfuture will depend upon how much of the Sabbath will penetrate its spirit.The Sabbath is the counterpoint of living; the melody sustained throughout allagitations and vicissitudes which menace our conscience. Every holiday wemust kindle the lights in the soul, enhance our mercy, deepen our sensitivity.

Now an important question thatconcerns especially medical staff, administration and volunteers who helpreduce pain in the wake of Corona. The question where is God during Corona maybe answered by transposing the remark about Holocoast to corona. Where was God during Holocoast? is answeredby a counter-question Where was Man? A doctor/volunteer says labayka(I am present). And We tend to read the Bible looking for mighty acts that Goddoes and not seeing that all the way through the Bible God is waiting for human beings to act. This lesson is especially put forthby Camus hero (Dr. Rieux) in The Plague who serves tirelessly statingthat all he knows is that his job calling, vocation and salvation is tolessen misery. Heschel shows how, in the face of absurdity that epidemics mayforce us to take notice of, one can still find meaning of life. There is ameaning beyond absurdity. Let them be sure that every little deed counts, thatevery word has power, and that we can do every one our share to redeem theworld despite of all absurdities and all the frustration and alldisappointments. And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to livelife as it if were a work of art. Youre not a machine. When you are young,start working on this great work of art called your own existence.

Holidays healing days, holydays, days devoted to living as against this or that work/engagement/officialassignments/money making are invitations to feasts we mostly miss. Heschel states: Man is not a beast of burden,and the Sabbath is not for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of hiswork. We have forgotten distinctionbetween labour and toil (where soul is not) and means (work, time) and end(rest/living/eternity). Pity those who rest to work confusing means (work) foran end (rest). Angels flee from the shops/offices where work goes on even afterdesignated closing time and on some holidays.

P S For those who take the Prophet (SAW) seriously by optingfor a sort of itikaf or self/home quarantine during epidemics and dontcourt suicide (cardinal sin) or endanger lives of others but nevertheless dieduring Corona, these words of our sage Heschel: In Jewish tradition, dying inones sleep is called a kiss of God, and dying on the Sabbath is a gift that ismerited by piety. For the pious person, my father once wrote, it is a privilegeto die. Dying during epidemic is a kiss from God for Islamic tradition and ifcombined with the lockdown/quarantine celebrated as sabbath, it is pure grace.We neednt trouble relatives for mourning and death rituals. Death is acelebration and may well be celebrated by a feast death anniversaries shouldbe celebrated as is the tradition of urs.Death is an adventure we lose in hospitals and is best enjoyed consciously,in home as if it is the first night of wedding (One recalls here Ghulam RasoolNazki who made it a point to die consciously adventurously, joyfully.)

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Living and dying in the times of corona - Greater Kashmir