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Bereshit. Genesis. In the Beginning. No matter how you say it, here we are again - reading the FIRST chapter in the first Book of Torah.

This rich and beautiful Torah portion contains two separate stories that illustrate the creation of the world.  Each story is different and explains our world in subtle and distinct ways.

Chapter 1 focuses on God’s creation and organization of the entire world. 

Chapter 2, by contrast, offers a very different creation narrative, one concerned with the nature of the human condition.

This year, as I reread these chapters, it is this second narrative that strikes me at my core. It is one that addresses fundamental human realities such as loneliness, humanity, and relationships - aspects of our world that have been profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it seems that life is going back to normal in many ways -- spending more time at Sinai, eating at restaurants outdoors, walking with friends, and more -- I must remind myself how many people I know and love that still find themselves isolated and alone at home, in nursing Homes, assisted living apartments, hospitals and more. After a meeting on Wednesday afternoon,  I was reminded that many people are still unable to leave their homes. Many people are unable to even receive a package or balloons on their birthdays. 

This brings me to the famous and profound verse in Genesis Chapter 2 : And God said, “It is not good that humans should be alone.”

After God created everything around us, calling each thing “good” in its own right, God glances at Adam, alone and without a companion, and labels loneliness as the first human problem. “It is not good for humanity to be alone,” God declares.

This year - how could this verse not hit us in a new way?!  Why did God create us with the need for companionship? Why is “social distancing” which oftentimes results in social isolation, so contradictory to our human nature?

Genesis teaches that God created us all incomplete and imperfect, instructing us that we need others for completion.  We need friends and communities, partners, pets and family. We are not meant, nor is it good for us, to be alone. 

I read a teaching that takes this idea further: the antidote to loneliness is not only to surround ourselves with others, but also to open ourselves to new possibilities. The person who finds herself unable to listen to different perspectives can feel lonely no matter how many friends she has. The person who is unable to open himself to listening and learning from those who disagree with him, misses out on a profound dimension of life. 

God created us with the intention that we look into the heart and soul of another person; to try and understand them, to empathize, and share a part of their life. The political and social discord in our country now, coupled with this pandemic and isolation, cause more people to feel more lonely than ever before. 

Rabbi Yochanan illuminates this in the Talmud. A famous healer, he himself finds himself in need of healing from his friend Rabbi Chanina. The anonymous voice of the Talmud asks why Rabbi Yochanan could not just heal himself. The Talmud responds: “A captive cannot release himself from prison.” So too it is for us.  We cannot cure our own loneliness.

In this time when we cannot visit many of our friends or family - or be with each other in community, let us keep thinking of creative ways to be there for others in our life. Though we may be exhausted or burnt out, we steel ourselves with the fortitude and tenacity to keep trying. And while, for some, life slowly resumes its rhythms, for others, "normalcy" remains far out of reach. 

This Shabbat may we take deliberate and careful steps toward companionship and love. May we think of those in our lives who need us now, and think of those in our lives who are different than us. May we find unique ways to unify and bring people together. Together, we will provide comfort and alleviate some of the pain so many are feeling.

Shabbat Shalom