Parshat Bo: Shards of Sunlight

Exodus 10:22-23

Moses held out his arm toward the sky and thick darkness descended upon all the land of Egypt for three days. People could not see one another, and for three days no one could get up from where he was; but all the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings.

Ibn Ezra (1089-1167)

'No one could get up from where he was': From his house, as in 'let no man leave his place' (Ex. 16:29). For where could they go without light?

“We feel really privileged to have the conversations we do about mental health, and also the variety of places we travel to, and the people we get to meet.”

Johnny Benjamin is quoted discussing his extraordinary work with Neil Laybourn, the man who, in 2008, convinced him not to jump off Waterloo Bridge. In doing so, Neil literally saved Johnny's life.

In 2017, JAMI, the Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill, designated the Saturday on which we read Parshat Bo as its Mental Health Awareness Shabbat. Referring to the ninth plague and its impact on the Egyptians, it is easy to understand why this week's Parsha is particularly applicable. This year especially resonates for me, as its theme is 'Mental Health in a Changing World'. I cannot envisage a more apt subject of discussion as I have witnessed it myself in my capacity as a high school teacher in not one, but two very different schools. I am also the son of an elderly man living in a Jewish Care home which provides round-the-clock dementia care for its residents.

A short while ago, two of my daughters and I visited my father. Due to the latest Covid restrictions, we were unable to meet with him on a face-to-face basis. We had to sit in a glass fronted 'pod' that had been constructed in the corner of a large room that also functions as the Shul. We entered it from an external courtyard to ensure that no physical contact could take place. We talked to each other using hand-held walkie-talkies, the type used to monitor babies. My father's first reaction was to ask why we couldn't meet properly and we could see that he was distressed about the lack of physical contact. To be honest, we felt as though we were visiting a prisoner in jail. Although we did have a wonderful experience talking and reminiscing with him, I can only imagine how isolated he felt. I know that we did too.

During the various lockdowns over the past two years I, like other teachers, taught from the comfort of my home. This consisted of communicating through my computer screen to students who were sometimes struggling to access the necessary equipment to keep up with their education. When I wasn't teaching, I was calling home to check up on their wellbeing and general mental health. The discussions I had with parents were often heart-breaking. I heard about their children who were suffering through not being able to meet friends and maintain the kind of social relationships that are key to a young person's emotional development.

I heard stories of some children who didn't want to leave their homes (and in some cases, confined apartments) as they had been so traumatised by the constrictive effects of those lockdowns. Others suffered immensely when they returned to school as they couldn't cope with the stress caused by the overall situation.

Another group of children came to school and realised that they would rather be at home, thus impacting on their ability to bounce back and return to the kind of ‘normality’ we take for granted.

In my current school we, the staff and children, are still impacted by the trauma of the last two years. No one is really certain of what will happen in terms of a return to academic 'normality'. How will our children, the next generation, be able to rebuild their trust in a world that has changed so drastically since they entered education?

If I, a person who is thank Gd not impacted by mental health problems, am struggling, I don't know how a young child, teenager, adult or a senior citizen like my father can move forward, if they are not so fortunate. Like the Egyptians in our Parsha, could we really blame them for not being able to move as a result of the inner darkness they are facing?

It is not difficult to become despondent granted all of these factors. If this situation had manifested itself some twenty years ago or earlier, there would have been very little help available. Mental health was certainly not a term that I had heard of when I was in school. We all knew someone who was sadly impacted and there were different pathways that they were advised to take. However, it wasn't a topic that came up easily in conversation.

Fortunately, times have changed. This sixth annual Shabbat and its highlighting of a once taboo subject has become ingrained in our consciousness - and rightfully so.

Instead of, as the old saying states, ‘pushing it under the carpet’, we bring it to the fore. Literally yanking it from the deepest darkness into the brightest sunlight.

Johnny, a former JFS student and his lifelong friend Neil are at the vanguard of the fight to banish old stereotypes to the 'dustbin of history'. Where they could have stood still, like the Egyptians, they chose to travel far and wide and give hope to others.

JAMI, in its incredible work provides light and opportunities to the numerous people of all ages in our communities who thought that they were living in darkness…who thought that no-one was there to help them.

Please click here to support the invaluable work that they do. Chief Rabbi Mirvis has recorded a moving video on their site which I heartily recommend you view.

Our commentators explain that although the Egyptians were paralysed both metaphorically and physically by the darkness, the Israelites enjoyed light in their dwellings. After three days, the Egyptian darkness ended and they too could glimpse the daylight.

Johnny Nash famously sang that he could see that the ‘dark clouds were gone and it would be a bright, bright sun-shining day'.

Overcoming mental illness can take many forms and the road is frequently long and arduous. However, the smallest shard of sunlight piercing the darkness can remind one even momentarily that they are not on their own. My colleagues and I throughout the word will never give up on helping our students face their demons and work towards achieving their potential.

Thank you, JAMI, Johnny and Neil, for being some of those shards who inspire and fortify the rest of us.

Shabbat Shalom.