Keri = Coronavirus & Ciara

There are two simultaneous international crises occurring now. One is the outbreak of the Coronavirus which has killed more than 1,000 people and infected more than 40,000 globally since its outbreak, and the other is the Ciara storm (pronounced “KEER-ah” - the name derives from Irish origin, despite the contrast in spelling) which is decimating Europe.

Both of these words contain the root of the Hebrew word “keri”, which means “happenstance”, as God says in the verse (Vayikra 26, 27) “If you shall go with me _be’keri_, I shall go with you with _chamas keri_ “, which means “the fury of happenstance”. In other words, if you refuse to see My hand in the world when I send punishment to awaken you, then I shall increase the wrath of the punishment to appear even more as if you are at the mercy of “happenstance”.

Let us take this lesson to heart, as our sages say “No suffering comes to the world other than for Yisrael” (Yevamos 63a) and may we increase our faith and attribute everything that happens to us, both personally and collectively, to the Almighty - may His name be blessed forever!

In addition, we just read about Amalek last week, of whom it says אשר קרך בדרך, _who “happened upon you” on the way_, and our Sages say that “karcha” is a lashon of “keri”, which has a double meaning of (1) impurity and (2) lack of faith, both of which cause us to be “kar” meaning cold, i.e. have a coldness of heart.

And as if to emphasize how everything is related to Yisrael, the past few days have been the coldest days in Israel’s winter this year. And as the pasuk says: ולפני קרתו מי יעמוד - “and before His cold who can stand?” - “karaso” again a remez to the same idea.