During this pandemic time, we need to think to ourselves “Why is this happening?” Obviously, none of us can really have a definite answer because we are not the Almighty. Only He knows why anything happens in the world. To try to guess would be a waste of time.
Some people suggest it is a punishment. That is not the attitude of chassidus. This is not a punishment. It may be a wake up call to encourage positive changes in the world. One thing we all feel is that this pandemic is leading to change. We pray it should lead to the coming of Moshiach.
Whatever happens in the world needs to bring about positive changes and positive actions. So we need to figure out what we can do to make the world better. And as we improve the world, the Almighty will remove this plague from us and heal the world.
What is plaguing the world spiritually? We need to understand that the system of the way the world is running now has to change. No longer should big corporations be running society. No longer should the entire emphasis be on making money, on milking everyone to their last penny. No longer should families and values be sacrificed for greed.
We need to start thinking in a way of perfecting the world. How can we help others? How can we prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach? Our entire focus now has to be on bringing the Geula. To go back to the old system of society before coronavirus would be a pity. It would be a lost opportunity to change.
Housing is too expensive. Medications are a fortune, not readily available to all who need it. Food is too expensive (besides the fact that our food chain is being destroyed by chemicals and gmo agriculture etc.). tuition is a fortune and it should not be that way. Life as we know it is not sustainable in the long run. Things need to change! Attitudes need to change. Society needs to change.
We need to get our value systems right. We need to have proper morality (decency, modesty, family values). We need to stand up against immorality and wrong ideas that have permeated society. We need to stand up against things that society has decided are “okay” even though they are totally against Torah or against the Creator of the world. We need to get back to basics: family, children, marriage, helping one another, caring).
We need to prepare the world for the coming of Moshiach. We need to spread the wellsprings of Chassidus to all corners of the world.
We need to prepare the non Jewish nations for Moshiach as well. One aspect of that is spreading the 7 Noachide laws . The non Jews have seven commandments that they must observe (which actually expand into more as we go into details).
The sheva mitzvas bnei Noach (or seven Noachide laws) are the following:
Do not profane G‑d’s Oneness: acknowledge there is a Creator and do not worship idols in any form, Acknowledge Divine Providence over creation.
Do not curse the Creator (respect Him and His creation) no matter how angry you become in life
Do not murder (this includes abortion at any stage of pregnancy) . It includes not starving someone which would eventually result in their death. It also includes not committing suicide: you cannot murder yourself either!
Do not steal (which includes not kidnapping a human being as well as not stealing material things )
Do not eat the limb of a living animal (this can be expanded to include not causing pain to any living creature)
Do not commit adultery (this includes any type of sexual immorality, rape, incest or sexual abnormality) Included in here is the concept of getting married and establishing a family, which is also an obligation for a non Jew. A non Jew should also not practice birth control unless for medical reasons. That includes not causing sterility to any human being, animal or bird.
Establish courts of law and make sure there is justice in the world
There are more details to these laws, including an obligation to respect one’s parents. In fact, the Talmud learns a lesson in respecting parents from a non Jew who refused to wake his sleeping father even when promised a big sum of money to do so.
Let us all do our part to make this world a better place. Let us add in deeds of goodness and kindness in order to make the world ready for the great light of Moshiach.