In this week’s parsha, Korach, Korach comes forward with an “edah”, a congregation. It is composed of several disgruntled sub-groups with various complaints. One group is upset that they are not kohanim and another is upset that Moshe has not brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey. Moshe wants to speak to this group and they say, “You have not brought us into the land of milk and honey, we will not come and talk to you.

Expectations can be difficult.  They expected to go into the land and suddenly they were in the desert for 40 years.

We also feel that we are in a kind of exile, an exile within exile. Soon we will have a small redemption. We will open up the synagogue for a limited number of people in a limited number of services held in a very limited amount of time. Things will be shorter, there won’t be much discussion, there will be no sermon, no schmoozing, -just an opportunity to fulfill the  mitzvah of prayer in a slightly better way.

Expectations are going to be very important at this time. We are not going back to the way things were.If you have the expectation that we are, that its going to be like it used to be, it will be great disappointment. Many people will not be able to go to the Shul because they are vulnerable to the virus or because there’s not enough room.  When we are there we will not have the ability to talk intimately to each other because we will be in an enclosed space with masks on. We will go back to Shul expecting to feel as we used to – that sense of wonderful community-but we will not feel it, this is not the return we hoped for.

So what are we to do? I think first of all we must recognize this stage for what it is and  have appropriate expectations. Scond, we will need to have perspective.  To be grateful for  what we do have even if it is not a full return to the way it was.  With God’s help may our prayers for unity and togetherness as it was in the days before the virus, be fulfilled speedy in our days.