Keter Shem Tov

Avot 4:13:

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, שְׁלשָׁה כְתָרִים הֵם, כֶּתֶר תּוֹרָה וְכֶתֶר כְּהֻנָּה וְכֶתֶר מַלְכוּת, וְכֶתֶר שֵׁם טוֹב עוֹלֶה עַל גַּבֵּיהֶן:

Rabbi Shimon said: There are three crowns: the crown of torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty, but the crown of a good name supersedes them all.

Perhaps, as Derush, we can say the following:

There are others, but here are 3 of the coronavirus-like plagues in Tanach:

1) Shemot 32:35: At Mt. Sinai, where we received the Torah, during the Sin of the Golden Calf:

לה  וַיִּגֹּף יְהוָה, אֶת-הָעָם, עַל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת-הָעֵגֶל, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אַהֲרֹן.

35 And the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

This plague killed an an unknown amount of people (per the Ramban).  This is כתר תורה as it happened at the beginning of our receiving the Torah.

2) Bemidbar 17:12: After Korah contested for the Kehuna:

יב  וַיִּקַּח אַהֲרֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה, וַיָּרָץ אֶל-תּוֹךְ הַקָּהָל, וְהִנֵּה הֵחֵל הַנֶּגֶף, בָּעָם; וַיִּתֵּן, אֶת-הַקְּטֹרֶת, וַיְכַפֵּר, עַל-הָעָם.

12 And Aaron took as Moses spoke, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.

This plague killed 14,700 people.  This is כתר כהונה as it occurred at the beginning of Aharon's Kehuna.

3) Shemuel Bet 24:15: During the reign of the King David, the first person of royalty from the tribe of Yehuda:

טו  וַיִּתֵּן יְהוָה דֶּבֶר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵהַבֹּקֶר וְעַד-עֵת מוֹעֵד; וַיָּמָת מִן-הָעָם, מִדָּן וְעַד-בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, שִׁבְעִים אֶלֶף, אִישׁ.

15 So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

This plague killed 70,000 people.  This is כתר מלכות as it occurred at the beginning of Malchut Yehuda.

COVID-19 corresponds to כתר שם טוב.   How so?

Corona = כתר
שם = 340
טוב = 17
340 x 17 = 5780.

The Keter Shem Tov is therefore the coronavirus of 5780.

The Mishna tells us that the Keter Shem Tov is עולה על גביהן - supersedes them all.  In what way does it supersede them?  One could point to the sheer numbers, such as the number affected or the death toll, and that would be correct.  However, I believe that there is a positive aspect to עולה על גביהן too.

We know that the first "טוב" mentioned in the Torah was when Hashem created the אור (light) and He saw that it was טוב - good.  This light refers to the hidden light that is stored away for the righteous in the future.  This is after alluding to the 4 exiles and the coming of Mashiah in the preceding verse.

It could be saying that the כתר שם טוב has both a negative and positive connotation.  It refers to the coronavirus in 5780, but also refers to the coronation of King Mashiah and the טוב that comes along with it right afterwards in 5780 בעזרת השם.  In this way, if this occurs, the כתר שם טוב is עולה על גביהן as those other plagues didn't have an immediate redemption following them.

May this terrible plague cease and bring us to the Final Redemption.  Amen.