Podcast: Spirituality in the Time of Coronavirus, Part 3
Rabbi Rami speaks to a public health expert on how can we help ourselves, and others, during the pandemic.
This is the third episode in a four-part podcast series on maintaining spiritual and emotional wellness during the COVID-19 crisis. For a framework, Rabbi Rami explores the sayings of the influential Rabbi Hillel the Elder, born around 110 BCE in Babylon. Hillel had said, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” With this context, what are the biggest things we can do to maintain our humanity during coronavirus?
Rabbi Rami’s guest today is his friend and colleague at the One River Foundation, Frank Levy. Based in Alabama, Levy is the retired Bureau Chief of Public Health Preparedness for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, and former Director of Interfaith Relations at Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston. He frequently lectures on public health preparedness.
Levy makes three key recommendations for what we can do during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is to limit news consumption to once a day, so that you are informed but not quite as stressed. Rabbi Rami addressed some of this in the first episode of this series.
Second, Levy talks about creating a community network that can help people in need. Are there single parents, for example, near you, who are running out of mac and cheese? You could create a Google spreadsheet and share it with friends via Facebook, helping connect those in need with those who can help by, say, dropping off a bag of groceries or a roll of toilet paper.
Lastly, he encourages you to get outside a bit. Take a walk, or plant some flowers.
For more in this special four-part series, you can listen to the second episode here. As always, you can subscribe for free to Essential Conversations, using any of these handy sources for your device.
