We have been here before,- on the seder night of the first Pesach, in Egypt, the Jewish people could not leave their houses for fear of the threat on the outside.  Though it’s true that they had each other in groups that first Pesach, how many times in Jewish history were Jews eating matzah hiding alone behind a wall or having a seder in a small group in a dark house, -the Roman period, the crusades, the Spanish expultion, the Soviet Union, and lihavdel, the Holocaust.   We must be thankful that most of us have what we need, a roof over our heads, food to eat, and most of what we need to celebrate Pesach.   But perhaps this Pesach is a small link to the Jewish people’s experience which is, thank God, foreign to us, but was true for much of history.  Doing what we could to eek out Pesach in a time that was not ideal.  Like the Jews before us we must focus on the joy of being able to serve God, even if our Yom Tov is not full, this year lacking a table of family and friends.

Today as I was discussing the question of Zoom minyanim with a group of Rabbinic colleagues we read the following 18th century responsa of Rabbi Chaim Joseph David Azulai (c.1724-1807):

“In the Lazaretto which they are accustomed to use here, if there are in adjacent rooms six men in one room and four in another, who can not touch each other but can see each other, may they form a minyan?….Since they can see each other’s faces….(and there are 6 in one room)…they may form a minyan and not go 40 days without one.”

Indeed, the Italian word for the forty-day-period that the author refers to is quarantino, the basis of the word “quarantine” we use today.  Beginning in the 15th century, Venice created a quarantine station called a “lazaretto” on a small island on the entry to its harbor where quarantined ships could lay in anchor and sailors could come ashore as they waited out there the 40 days.

Rabbi Akiva Eger (1761 – 1837), the famed Ashkenazik Rabbi and posek wrote the responsa below in 1771 in response to a cholera epidemic.  It is important to note how he demands the Rabbi who asked the question conform to the rules of the time to avoid the spread of the disease and to utilize all the known medical wisdom of the era:

“With the help of God, may He be blessed. Monday of the Torah reading of “Nitzavim,” 5531, Posen. . . . To Rabbi Eliyahu . . . the head of the rabbinical court . . . of the holy community of Pleschen:

I have received your letter. Regarding prayer in the synagogue, in my view it is truly not right to congregate in a tight space. However, it is possible to pray in small groups . . . of about 15 men…starting from the first light . . . and the same in the afternoon. After prayers in the mornings and evenings, recite some chapters of Psalms of your choice, followed by [specific petitionary prayers] . . . and mention therein his Majesty the King, his offspring, his officers, and all who dwell in his land. Every morning and evening recite . . . the entire passage concerning the incense . . . Make sure that no more than the aforementioned number of people squeeze in, perhaps by posting a policeman there. . . .

Protect yourselves from the cold; everyone should wear a flannel cloth around their waist; don’t eat bad foods, especially pickles; limit the eating of fruit and fish and the drinking of beer. Do not overeat; it is better to eat small quantities frequently. Stay clean; do not leave dirt and grime in the house. Change into clean, freshly laundered clothes several times a week. Do not be anxious; keep away from nervousness. Do not walk in the city’s air at night; in the afternoon, while the sun is shining, it is good to walk in the country to get fresh air; open windows in the morning so that air can enter the rooms. Do not leave home on an empty stomach; eat some mustard seed on an empty stomach and take some oak bark. Draw some water and wash your hands and face in the morning. Several times, drizzle some good, strong vinegar mixed with rosewater in the rooms.”

This Pesach is not ideal.  We are nervous, scared, and unsure what to do.  But we, the Jewish People, have been here before.  For millennia we have found ways to serve God even in situations which were extremely difficult.   Perhaps it is actually more who we are.  Our’s is a generation that has known no threat, no lack, no challenge in having what we need to serve God and keep the torah.   Perhaps this year, though it will be a hard Pesach, it can also be a Pesach during which we feel connected to our ancestors in a new way, finding God and keeping Pesach, in tough times.