In what feels remarkably prescient, the Babylonian Talmud quotes a more ancient text, known as the Wisdom of Ben Sira. Teaching about fear and worry, Ben Sira states: Prevent a crowd from inside your house, do not let many people enter, and do not even bring all your friends into your house. Make sure, however, that a crowd seeks your welfare…
I have been consistently thankful that I live in a time of virtual connection; even as we are told to hunker down and stay home, I can—in defiance of Ben Sira, but in the spirit of the Governor’s orders—invite a crowd into my home. I am moved—sometimes to tears—by the efforts of our Wise School teachers to bring my children together on Zoom; I am equally touched by the faces and comments that pop up on various moments of Facebook Live.
We hope you will continue to join us, that you will know that you can—at the touch of a button—have a crowded house, and that—above all, being a part of Wise means that there is a crowd seeking your welfare.
— Rabbi Sari Laufer