Initially, the word earthquake makes me recall those that I have perhaps experienced, like watching game three of the 1989 World Series, or the tremors I felt while visiting my family in Seattle in the mid 90s. Or the moments when a play date in my house makes me question whether there is indeed an earthquake taking place rather than a lively game of nerf basketball.
Ultimately, however, the earthquakes that are most relevant to me are those of a spiritual nature. I still remember sitting in shiur and hearing my rebbe, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, beautifully present an explanation of a sugya in the beginning of Maseches Beitza that was truly earth shattering or Merapsin Igra. I recall looking around the room and whispering in wonder, “Did that just happen?” the very same way we looked around the room after experiencing tremors from a distant earthquake.
These spiritual earthquakes are not always experienced physically at all. They are the opportunities created by the opening of a new yeshiva that properly serves a mission or a population that has been falling through the cracks. They are the looks on students’ faces when they master a skill, connect to an idea, or share an experience that brought their learning to life. And they are the monumental shifts that an entire community feels when a new chesed organization opens its doors and immediately changes lives.
Earthquakes have always caused us to pause and reflect on our relationship with Hashem. We wonder what we may have done to deserve such a threat and how we might be able to avoid it moving forward. Perhaps it is the spiritual earthquakes emanating from our Torah, avodah and gemilus chasadim that ensure we merit protection from such dangers.
