Ripple in Still Water

          It never seems to fail. I greet each holiday, each Chag with anticipation. Well, maybe I don't enjoy all the preparation and all the work and all the chaos in my home, However when my wife and daughters light the candles that correspond to the commencement of one of the Shalosh Regalim (Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot), my son and I finish praying Maariv, the evening service, and we finally sit down to the first of what will be numerous festival meals; I am full of happiness and excitement.  By the end of the Chag? OY! I can't wait to return to my ordinary routine. Needless to say, I was counting down the minutes when my wife, kids and I could begin returning our kitchen back to Chametz. when Pesach was put away, and we were back to Chol, just an ordinary weekday moment. Yet when I woke up this morning, there it was Erev Shabbos. Our kids used to sing a song they learned in school, "Shabbos is coming, we're so happy...." Well, it feels more like "Shabbos ...

          With communities and society now virtually a remote society, the word "emergency" has taken on a new meaning. My wife teaches Gan (kindergarten). She teaches two zoom session. She has zoom meetings with her fellow Pre-Schook staff. She has zoom meetings with the entire faculty. Our children have all their High School and University classes through zoom. They connect with their friends through WhatsApp or Zoom. They meet with teachers administrators or student council through Zoom.  We see our daughter in Boston,  and grandparents in San Francisco and Rochester via internet-based platforms such as WhatsApp and Zoom. So if the wireless internet becomes spotty, if the service is not even throughout the house, or if our wireless printer which is connected in the basement cannot pick up the modem's signal then we are unable to print. First of all, I have become the designated IT person and yet I know nothing about IT. Second of all, what had been ...

              We are only on day 8 of this new reality. Thankfully we are all healthy, yet as we live with social distancing; it seems like this has been going on for weeks. While we were watching the news, my wife innocently asked how long do I think this will continue. I think that this will continue through the summer and into the fall.  I'm the one in the family that "prepares for the worst and hopes for the best".  Our kids asked me if they thought they would be back in school. I told them that colleges and universities have started to cancel their graduation ceremonies. No, they aren't returning to school. I suggested that they prepare for the possibility of no summer camp.  Needless I didn't win any popularity contests. I can't watch the news without wincing at the numbers when we watch the news, It is hard not to wince when we hear about the impending shortages of masks, gowns, and ventilators. With my sister and her family in Ne...