Good Friday.
Yes, I do mean "Good Friday."
I also mean "good Friday" too.
Today is a solemn day on the Christian calendar, and it is also a major Friday in my life, so when I say “Good Friday,” it has a double meaning today.
Today is the day that I get my second, and hopefully final, coronavirus shot, and I am both looking forward to getting it over with and dreading what I have to do to get it over with.
I keep on telling myself that this time has to be better than the last time, but a little voice in the back of my head tells me that it won’t be any better, other than the fact that I don’t have to sign up for another vaccine appointment … this is it.
Compound all of this with the fact that my allergies are completely haywire again—right now I can barely see out of both of my eyes to type this Rant—and that once again forced me to oversleep.
I am really suffering today; not sick but my allergies are really bothering me.
But beyond my own foibles, this is a big day on the calendar for my Christian brothers and sisters, part of perhaps the holiest week of the year leading up to Easter Sunday.
And once again, because of the pandemic, this Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be different—as Passover has been—this year, simply because even with the vaccine like I am going to take today, we still have a coronavirus to deal with.
In Rant #931, dated March 29, 2013, I wrote about what Easter means to me, pretty much as an outsider looking in. Here is what I said in edited form:
"Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter.
As a Jew, these are among the holidays where I am an outsider looking in.
I don't have recollections of these holidays, per se, because I never celebrated them.
I know they are wonderful holidays, days where people can reflect, look back, and look ahead.
I know that Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary, as described in the New Testament.
But as an outsider looking in, I have my own views of the holiday, just about all non-religious in nature.
I remember that at one time, nothing was open on Easter, and I mean nothing. No department stores, no movies, no restaurants, no nothing.
As you know, that has changed greatly in recent times. Many restaurants are open, and certainly the movies are open on Easter Sunday.
I remember painting Easter eggs as a child. I never knew the significance of this act, but I can remember that my sister and I made colorful Easter eggs using a product called Pas.
It was messy as all heck, and a lot of fun, as I recall.
I also never understood the significance of the Easter Bunny, but I guess that is almost equal to Santa Claus on Christmas.
I remember watching lots of TV on Easter Sunday, because nothing much else was doing.
I recall watching “Easter Parade,” “King of Kings,” and “The Ten Commandments,” sometimes back to back to back.
And I remember the actual Easter Parade in New York City, where so many people wore so many strange hats on their heads.
And I also remember that Easter Sunday was right near, or sometimes on, Passover, my holiday, and the significance of the two holidays being together is very strong.
The Last Supper, anybody?”
And this is what I wrote just a year ago, in Rant #2,384, dated April 19, 2020:
“And I also know that to some, this is the holiest time and day of the year.
To them, and to everyone else celebrating these holidays, I wish you great holidays, time to reflect, time to recharge your batteries.
So this year, in the most ironic of ironies, we are going back to the old fashioned Easter Sunday, where nothing is open, but it is not our of religious respect, but out of duty. We have to fight this thing with whatever we have, and we have to be diligent about it.
The only thing that I can say about this situation is that maybe we are, in a strange way, being forced to go back to a societal value that we thought we left in the dust long ago.
Maybe that will help us to not only reflect on our current situation, but also to reflect on what Easter--and Passover--really mean, and to form a new level of respect for these scared holidays.”
Honestly, things are not as bad this year as they were last year, but things still have changed.
Whether you are talking about Passover or Easter, the pandemic has changed everything.
Perhaps a year from now, in 2022, during this holiest of seasons, we will reflect even more on what was and what is, and we will be more comfortable and be able to go back to our old way of doing things.
But somehow, I am not counting on that right now.
Let’s not put the cart before the horse, and the horse is still out there … whether we are following the science or not.
To all those who celebrated Easter, have a wonderful Easter Sunday, and to everyone, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
Yes, I do mean "Good Friday."
I also mean "good Friday" too.
Today is a solemn day on the Christian calendar, and it is also a major Friday in my life, so when I say “Good Friday,” it has a double meaning today.
Today is the day that I get my second, and hopefully final, coronavirus shot, and I am both looking forward to getting it over with and dreading what I have to do to get it over with.
I keep on telling myself that this time has to be better than the last time, but a little voice in the back of my head tells me that it won’t be any better, other than the fact that I don’t have to sign up for another vaccine appointment … this is it.
Compound all of this with the fact that my allergies are completely haywire again—right now I can barely see out of both of my eyes to type this Rant—and that once again forced me to oversleep.
I am really suffering today; not sick but my allergies are really bothering me.
But beyond my own foibles, this is a big day on the calendar for my Christian brothers and sisters, part of perhaps the holiest week of the year leading up to Easter Sunday.
And once again, because of the pandemic, this Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday will be different—as Passover has been—this year, simply because even with the vaccine like I am going to take today, we still have a coronavirus to deal with.
In Rant #931, dated March 29, 2013, I wrote about what Easter means to me, pretty much as an outsider looking in. Here is what I said in edited form:
"Happy Good Friday and Happy Easter.
As a Jew, these are among the holidays where I am an outsider looking in.
I don't have recollections of these holidays, per se, because I never celebrated them.
I know they are wonderful holidays, days where people can reflect, look back, and look ahead.
I know that Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary, as described in the New Testament.
But as an outsider looking in, I have my own views of the holiday, just about all non-religious in nature.
I remember that at one time, nothing was open on Easter, and I mean nothing. No department stores, no movies, no restaurants, no nothing.
As you know, that has changed greatly in recent times. Many restaurants are open, and certainly the movies are open on Easter Sunday.
I remember painting Easter eggs as a child. I never knew the significance of this act, but I can remember that my sister and I made colorful Easter eggs using a product called Pas.
It was messy as all heck, and a lot of fun, as I recall.
I also never understood the significance of the Easter Bunny, but I guess that is almost equal to Santa Claus on Christmas.
I remember watching lots of TV on Easter Sunday, because nothing much else was doing.
I recall watching “Easter Parade,” “King of Kings,” and “The Ten Commandments,” sometimes back to back to back.
And I remember the actual Easter Parade in New York City, where so many people wore so many strange hats on their heads.
And I also remember that Easter Sunday was right near, or sometimes on, Passover, my holiday, and the significance of the two holidays being together is very strong.
The Last Supper, anybody?”
And this is what I wrote just a year ago, in Rant #2,384, dated April 19, 2020:
“And I also know that to some, this is the holiest time and day of the year.
To them, and to everyone else celebrating these holidays, I wish you great holidays, time to reflect, time to recharge your batteries.
So this year, in the most ironic of ironies, we are going back to the old fashioned Easter Sunday, where nothing is open, but it is not our of religious respect, but out of duty. We have to fight this thing with whatever we have, and we have to be diligent about it.
The only thing that I can say about this situation is that maybe we are, in a strange way, being forced to go back to a societal value that we thought we left in the dust long ago.
Maybe that will help us to not only reflect on our current situation, but also to reflect on what Easter--and Passover--really mean, and to form a new level of respect for these scared holidays.”
Honestly, things are not as bad this year as they were last year, but things still have changed.
Whether you are talking about Passover or Easter, the pandemic has changed everything.
Perhaps a year from now, in 2022, during this holiest of seasons, we will reflect even more on what was and what is, and we will be more comfortable and be able to go back to our old way of doing things.
But somehow, I am not counting on that right now.
Let’s not put the cart before the horse, and the horse is still out there … whether we are following the science or not.
To all those who celebrated Easter, have a wonderful Easter Sunday, and to everyone, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.
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