'And how's your health?' my grandma would always ask. Here's how my family decided to forgo one of the Jewish traditions I respect most.
On Sunday, my dad did one of the toughest things he'll ever have to do—he gave a eulogy for his mother. But he also did something equally tough, if not tougher. He told his closest friends and family members not to join him in person to sit shiva.
Yet my dad stood at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, New York, and bravely said,"I will not be holding a customary shiva because of the health pandemic. I will always keep my doors open to friends and family, and those doors will be open when the crisis passes. I encourage calls and messages of remembrance. I encourage your thinking of my mother fondly during this week, separately.""We must keep living our lives," someone said.
Not coming over to sit shiva meshes with basic religious principles as well . Honor thy neighbor—by staying home and staying healthy.Courtesy of Ally Kehoe I write this not to pat my dad on the back, but to encourage others to follow his lead. Put common sense and our public health above strict traditions. Our traditions can be malleable in serious situations, such as the one we face today.
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