Transforming the Covid-19 Pandemic into a Win
The moment in March 2020 the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County announced the lockdown of all Batei Knesset and schools in our area, I resolved to turn the dire and unprecedented situation into a gain. Although fear permeated the air, death announcements were frightfully frequent, and strict isolation was debilitating, the Jewish way is to follow Nachum Ish Gam Zo’s credo “Gam Zo LeTovah”, meaning that there must be some good we can extract from even the most dire situations.
In the spirit of Shimshon’s phrase “MeiAz Yatza Matok”, meaning “from the strong emerges something sweet” (Shofetim 14:14), we devoted deep attention to Sefer Daniel during the isolation of May-June 2020 and the most unconventional learning situation of April-June 2021. Despite the many handicaps, our TABC Talmidim rose to the occasion and delved deeply into Sefer Daniel.1Nechemia Perek 2 serves as a dramatic example of transforming a very bad situation into an incredibly positive phenomenon.
It is in this spirit that we present the fruits of our learning in these most challenging of circumstances. Some of the emotions and feelings of those times have been preserved in these pages composed during this trying period. For this reason, we occasionally cite students’ comments verbatim. We feel that sharing these emotions is most appropriate for the solemn lessons set forth in Sefer Daniel.
Unfortunately, Sefer Daniel is not traditionally part of the Yeshiva high school curriculum. It is not even part of more advanced Yeshiva learning. I discovered that this is a very big mistake. The lessons set forth in Sefer Daniel are fundamental to Jewish thought and Jewish life, especially in our times. By ignoring Sefer Daniel, we risk not inspiring ourselves and the upcoming generations.
Our hope is that our work will demonstrate the excitement and drama of Sefer Daniel which make it a compelling learning experience for Yeshiva High School and advanced students. We hope our book begins to bring about the time when no one misses the unforgettable opportunity to learn Sefer Daniel with its most foundational lessons that express the core of Jewish life and outlook.