"I Couldn't Sleep, Anxious I Guess"

          In our home,  I usually am the one who wakes up first.  Typically, I try to be incredibly quiet so as not to wake my wife.  For approximately 30-45 minutes, the house is normally, quiet. I can turn on the news show that I enjoy. For a few minutes, no one needs me to do "this, that or the other thing." So this morning, I quietly get out of bed, I descend the stairs and there is a light on in our family room already. There's my wife, on the sofa, with her computer, trying to master various computer programs that are designed to facilitate her conducting and "on line" kindergarten class.  She couldn't sleep. She had been up for hours. "I guess I am a bit anxious" she smiled through her worried eyes. I know that the anxiety will lead to her being tired later today. I thought about all those upon who we rely, who we cannot afford to become tired. I thought about health care workers, lab clinicians, farmworkers, those who are going manufacture the requisite hospital supplies,  cashiers and those who are involved in our food and medicine supply chain. So many people whom we rely on. So many people whom we cannot afford to grow tired, careless and need to remain healthy. Every morning when we daven Shacharit (pray the morning service), the first series of blessings that we recite are called Birkot HaShachar. These fourteen blessings occur at the very beginning Shacharit. They are essentially fourteen "thank you's" to God. The final Bracha of this section reads Baruch Atah Adoshem Elokeinu Melech Ha'Olam, HaNotein L'Yaef Koach - Praise are you Lord our God who gives strength to the weary. I have always wondered about this Bracha and its placement in the liturgy. This Bracha is said first thing in the morning.  Maybe it would be better recited later in the day when we begin to grow weary and need a nap. Why offer praise for strengthening the weary first thing in the morning? The weary are refreshed, they had a night's sleep. After a week of this troubling new reality, strength to the weary has taken on a completely different meaning.  Anxiety can exhaust us, maybe praising God for strength to help us deal with anxiety is a good idea. All those who work to keep the food chain, medical supply chain and packages delivered probably cannot afford to get weary. Weary means these people become careless and careless can affect so many people. We are truly interconnected, We are anxious, We are fearful. Our actions, our behavior have a ripple effect that is exponential in nature.  Maybe the strength for which we praise God, is the strength to behave in a  thoughtful, considerate and concerned manner not only for those lives that we intentionally connect to but all those lives that we unintentionally connect with as well.  May we all have enough strength to fight our weariness and our anxiety. May we have a better today than we had yesterday.
Peace,
Rav Yitz

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