Typhoon Haiyan and Us

By Rabbi Levi Cunin, Chabad of Malibu

When a calamity strikes the public we must cry out, examine our lives and correct our ways. To say that the calamity is merely a natural phenomenon and a chance occurrence is insensitive and cruel – Maimonides 

When millions of lives are tragically and abruptly aborted due to a “natural” disaster, it must serve as a wake-up call to us all. Even on a most basic level, it is nothing less than callous to be complacent in the face of any catastrophe, especially one so sudden and so devastating, affecting so many lives, now and forever.

That’s why it is admirable to see the outpouring of international aid—from nations and from individuals. Just from the US alone, the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier with 5,500 crew, 80 aircraft—21 helicopters—will deliver supplies to hard-to-reach areas and conduct search-and-rescue missions for those still holding on after the epic storm. Obviously much more can and must be done to address the people in crisis. Yet, it is important to acknowledge every positive gesture of help.

Though hardly a consolation to the magnitude of this week's great tragedy, it is mildly comforting to witness nations having an awareness that we all are part of one human race, and we therefore share responsibility toward one another, something quite unprecedented in human history.

You can’t help but wonder how countries behaved toward each other in centuries past when disaster struck their neighbors. Not only were nations oblivious of each other, they often were at war with one another, and natural calamities were simply exploited.

The mystics see our responsibility for each other in a cosmic way. All human beings—and for that matter, every fiber of existence—are part of one large organism; each an indispensable musical note in the Divine symphony. We are all integrally connected and interconnected. The loss and pain of one component affects us all. Indeed, all of time, space and spirit (man) are pieces of one seamless tapestry.

Yet, this integral web connection is hidden from our view.  A great “shroud” conceals our interconnectivity and interdependence. The shroud allows us to think that we are alone and disconnected from everything else. It creates the narcissistic perception that the only thing that exists is “me,” in this moment and this space, with no inkling of our fundamental link with all other moments, spaces and people. 

Life’s great challenge—is to wake up and be aware: To open the curtains and reveal the underlying unity through living an integrated life. We cannot grasp the mystery of human suffering, yet, after acknowledging the mystery of pain, we can forge ahead with fortitude and strength to become greater people and make the world a more beautiful place.

By understanding our integral unity we can arrive at the vital conclusion: Just as we are hurt when others are in pain, even thousands of miles away, we have the power to strengthen each other as well. In some strange way, our personal behavior in one corner of the globe has the power to repair ruptures in another part of the world.

—Adopted from the teachings of Rabbi Simon Jacobson.

Shabbat Shalom