In Talmud Nidah, we read a text that seems to be about the fetus in the womb but is really about us. The text reads:
‘And there are no days when a person is in a more blissful state than those days when she is a fetus in her mother’s womb, as it is stated in the previous verse: “If only I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me”(Job 29:2). And the proof that this verse is referring to gestation is as follows: Which are the days that have months but do not have years? You must say that these are the months of gestation......ומלמדין אותו כל התורה כולה שנאמר (משלי ד ד) ויורני ויאמר לי יתמך דברי לבך שמור מצותי וחיה ואומר (איוב כט, ד) בסוד אלוה עלי אהלי
And a fetus is taught the entire Torah while in the womb, as it is stated: “And God taught me and said to me: Let your heart hold fast My words; keep My commandments, and live”(Proverbs 4:4).’
This text suggests that the days of living inside the womb are the best days of our lives, because God watches over us and we are protected and safe. Not only are we safe while inside the womb, but God also teaches us the whole Torah while there. We learn to hold fast to God, so that we will live ethically and well when we emerge from the womb.
Over the past 18 months, it has been as if we have been inside the womb of our homes, staying safe and protected. Although we may not have been aware of it, God was with us in our homes the entire time. Like the text says, we too learned Torah during our time of confinement. Some of us took classes in which we actually increased our knowledge of the Torah of Judaism; others of us learned new insights and skills which enhanced and stretched us. I imagine that all of us learned something new about the Torah of our souls, about ourselves, during our time in our places of protection.
And now we too slowly, gradually emerge from our ‘womb’. Tonight, we return to our sacred space after 15 months. We will hold our first service from our sacred space. We will be celebrating the life of a devoted learner of Torah, and a good man, Mitch Selig, on his 90th birthday. The number of participants is limited to Mitch’s family, and will be small. I invite you to join us via zoom to mark our soft re-entry.
May the learning and insights we have gained during these long months bring us comfort as we begin to heal and recover from COVID trauma. May God’s cloud and fire from this week’s parasha lead us out of the ‘womb’ into a life of mitzvot, love and wisdom. May the knowledge of God’s presence, and the reemerging contact with those we love, give us strength as we navigate our way into the new world that awaits us.
May your Shabbat be filled with the light at the end of the birth tunnel, and the guiding light of the pillar of fire.
