"Remember how much of our shopping used to be done in actual stores? You could touch the food, feel the fabric, you had to stand in line to pay”

Lately, I’ve been wondering if in addition to the Stone Age and the Ice Age, there’ll be the Corona Age.BC and AC. Before and After.

We’ll say to our children, as our grandchildren listen in disbelief, things like: “Remember when we could just fly to other countries without a prior health check? Remember how close together we used to sit on those planes? We didn’t even have to wear masks! And remember how cheap tickets used to be?”

Last night, I went out in the cool Jerusalem air. Close to my home, from a local hall beneath a beis medrash, came the sounds of spirited music; Od yishama et al. Further along, practically in the middle of someone’s driveway, I saw workers set up a stunning flower centerpiece, probably in preparation for tomorrow’s wedding.

I walked further along and passed a “real” wedding hall. Closed and dark, as if it would have been the Nine Days, although it’s peak chasunah season now. Hotels were likewise closed and shuttered, their potential visitors far away, trying to prove they’re free of Covid-19, trying to get the privileged permits, wondering how they’ll manage the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

“Remember how chasunahs used to be?” I imagine myself reminiscing with friends as we rock in our respective rocking chairs. “Hundreds of people! Huge halls! Tons of food! Ach, but it was such a waste. Some good did happen from that coronavirus, to be sure.”

And we’d go on to discuss how things changed. “Remember when there used to be more than 15 students in a class the size of our dining room? Remember how much of our shopping used to be done in actual stores? You could touch the food, feel the fabric, you had to stand in line to pay.”