Coronavirus and the Persian Plague of 5533 (1772-3)

There's been much discussion about Rosh Hashana falling out on Shabbat - whether it's a good sign or not.  While some contend it's not a good sign since we miss a day of Shofar blowing which we need to defend us by "reminding" Hashem of the Akeida, most others contend that Rosh Hashana falling out on Shabbat is a very good sign.

I've seen various reasons why this is so.  I like the reason given by Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev ZY"A: that Hashem keeps the Torah too and He wouldn't write anyone's name into books on Shabbat - except He would be able to do so for פיקוח נפש - so He only inscribes people into the Book of Life when Rosh Hashana falls out on Shabbat.  For those who speak Hebrew, see some other reasons given in this video from 7:30-11:35.

It has been a long time since Rosh Hashana last fell out on Shabbat.  In fact, it's been 11 years - the last time it occurred was Rosh Hashana 5770.  That's quite a gap.  I was thinking to myself that perhaps 10 straight Rosh Hashanas without the merit of Shabbat to sweeten our judgments is not a good thing.  Could this perhaps be a factor (along with our misdeeds) why we had such a tragic year in 5780?

I was researching (via hebcal.com) the last time such a big gap occurred.  Apparently, the last time this occurred was Shabbat Rosh Hashana 5523 (1762) until Shabbat Rosh Hashana 5534 (1773).*  That's 247 years, which is a multiple of 19, and the basis of the Tur's cycle.  (See also a similar post I posted 4 years ago about this.)

Of note is what occurred in the year that corresponds to 5780 in the cycle - but 247 years prior - in 5533, the 10th year in a row without a Shabbat Rosh Hashana.  That year experienced the 1772 Persian Plague, which was a particularly devastating plague, לא עלינו, where 2 million people perished throughout Persian-controlled lands.

Just like many great rabbis died from the coronavirus, in that plague, Rav Sadka Hussein ZT"L (author of the book צדקה ומשפט) perished along with 2 or 3 of his sons.  His sons predeceased him and he changed his Derasha for Shabbat Shuva into a hesped for his sons.

A very interesting, but quite gruesome, story is brought down in sefarim (mentioned by Rav Abdallah Somech ZT"L and others and retold by former Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzhak Nissim ZT"L) how that plague was stopped:

The Av Beit Din of Baghdad at the time was Harav Tzalah Matzliah ZT"L (who took over for Rav Hussein) and he knew what it said in Sefer Hasidim that when there is a plague in the city, check the dead bodies and see if any swallowed their shrouds.

During the plague, a man died and they dug up a grave for him in order to bury him, but they "mistakenly" dug up the grave of a woman who died at the beginning of the plague.  They noticed that this woman was eating her shrouds.  Rav Matzliah said that he has a tradition that this is a grave danger and a sign that the plague will continue for a long time, Bar Minan.   He therefore said that this dead woman needs to be shechted.  

So a strong man consumed a lot of alcohol and got drunk (in order to prevent him from having any compunctions about doing so), and he took a sharp knife, and he shechted this dead woman and then pulled the shrouds out of her mouth.  Immediately after doing so, the plague stopped.

So that was a spooky story, but what lessons can we learn to our present-day plague - the coronavirus?

One might be inclined to say that we should do the same as they did then since there is an apparent connection between the 2 plagues.  However, only great rabbis can determine if graves should be opened up to check on who is eating their shrouds to stop a plague.  

One thing is for certain though: we need to realize that our target address to help stop the coronavirus should be solely HKBH - not Dr. Gamzu, not Dr. Fauci, not the companies producing hundreds of potential vaccines - only HKB"H.  We need to have this in mind when we say אבינו מלכנו מנע מגפה מנחלתיך.

Just as they stopped the plague then, we can stop it now.  May Hashem allow it to be stopped.

---

*

Secular Year	Jewish Year Rosh Hashana Begins	Day of the Week Rosh Hashana Falls
2028	5789	Thursday
2027	5788	Shabbat
2026	5787	Shabbat
2025	5786	Tuesday
2024	5785	Thursday
2023	5784	Shabbat
2022	5783	Monday
2021	5782	Tuesday
2020	5781	Shabbat
2019	5780	Monday
2018	5779	Monday
2017	5778	Thursday
2016	5777	Monday
2015	5776	Monday
2014	5775	Thursday
2013	5774	Thursday
2012	5773	Monday
2011	5772	Thursday
2010	5771	Thursday
2009	5770	Shabbat
2008	5769	Tuesday
2007	5768	Thursday
2006	5767	Shabbat
2005	5766	Tuesday
2004	5765	Thursday
2003	5764	Shabbat
2002	5763	Shabbat
2001	5762	Tuesday
2000	5761	Shabbat
1999	5760	Shabbat
1998	5759	Monday
1997	5758	Thursday
1996	5757	Shabbat
1995	5756	Monday
1994	5755	Tuesday
1993	5754	Thursday
1992	5753	Monday
1991	5752	Monday
1990	5751	Thursday
1989	5750	Shabbat
1988	5749	Monday
1987	5748	Thursday
1986	5747	Shabbat
1985	5746	Monday
1984	5745	Thursday
1983	5744	Thursday
1982	5743	Shabbat
1981	5742	Tuesday
1980	5741	Thursday
1979	5740	Shabbat
1978	5739	Monday
1977	5738	Tuesday
1976	5737	Shabbat
1975	5736	Shabbat
1974	5735	Tuesday
1973	5734	Thursday
1972	5733	Shabbat
1971	5732	Monday
1970	5731	Thursday
1969	5730	Shabbat
1968	5729	Monday
1967	5728	Thursday
1966	5727	Thursday
1965	5726	Monday
1964	5725	Monday
1963	5724	Thursday
1962	5723	Shabbat
1961	5722	Monday
1960	5721	Thursday
1959	5720	Shabbat
1958	5719	Monday
1957	5718	Thursday
1956	5717	Thursday
1955	5716	Shabbat
1954	5715	Tuesday
1953	5714	Thursday
1952	5713	Shabbat
1951	5712	Monday
1950	5711	Tuesday
1949	5710	Shabbat
1948	5709	Monday
1947	5708	Monday
1946	5707	Thursday
1945	5706	Shabbat
1944	5705	Monday
1943	5704	Thursday
1942	5703	Shabbat
1941	5702	Monday
1940	5701	Thursday
1939	5700	Thursday
1938	5699	Monday
1937	5698	Monday
1936	5697	Thursday
1935	5696	Shabbat
1934	5695	Monday
1933	5694	Thursday
1932	5693	Shabbat
1931	5692	Shabbat
1930	5691	Tuesday
1929	5690	Shabbat
1928	5689	Shabbat
1927	5688	Tuesday
1926	5687	Thursday
1925	5686	Shabbat
1924	5685	Monday
1923	5684	Tuesday
1922	5683	Shabbat
1921	5682	Monday
1920	5681	Monday
1919	5680	Thursday
1918	5679	Shabbat
1917	5678	Monday
1916	5677	Thursday
1915	5676	Thursday
1914	5675	Monday
1913	5674	Thursday
1912	5673	Thursday
1911	5672	Shabbat
1910	5671	Tuesday
1909	5670	Thursday
1908	5669	Shabbat
1907	5668	Monday
1906	5667	Thursday
1905	5666	Shabbat
1904	5665	Shabbat
1903	5664	Tuesday
1902	5663	Thursday
1901	5662	Shabbat
1900	5661	Monday
1899	5660	Tuesday
1898	5659	Shabbat
1897	5658	Monday
1896	5657	Tuesday
1895	5656	Thursday
1894	5655	Monday
1893	5654	Monday
1892	5653	Thursday
1891	5652	Shabbat
1890	5651	Monday
1889	5650	Thursday
1888	5649	Thursday
1887	5648	Monday
1886	5647	Thursday
1885	5646	Thursday
1884	5645	Shabbat
1883	5644	Tuesday
1882	5643	Thursday
1881	5642	Shabbat
1880	5641	Monday
1879	5640	Thursday
1878	5639	Shabbat
1877	5638	Shabbat
1876	5637	Tuesday
1875	5636	Thursday
1874	5635	Shabbat
1873	5634	Monday
1872	5633	Thursday
1871	5632	Shabbat
1870	5631	Monday
1869	5630	Monday
1868	5629	Thursday
1867	5628	Monday
1866	5627	Monday
1865	5626	Thursday
1864	5625	Shabbat
1863	5624	Monday
1862	5623	Thursday
1861	5622	Thursday
1860	5621	Monday
1859	5620	Thursday
1858	5619	Thursday
1857	5618	Shabbat
1856	5617	Tuesday
1855	5616	Thursday
1854	5615	Shabbat
1853	5614	Monday
1852	5613	Tuesday
1851	5612	Shabbat
1850	5611	Shabbat
1849	5610	Monday
1848	5609	Thursday
1847	5608	Shabbat
1846	5607	Monday
1845	5606	Thursday
1844	5605	Shabbat
1843	5604	Monday
1842	5603	Monday
1841	5602	Thursday
1840	5601	Monday
1839	5600	Monday
1838	5599	Thursday
1837	5598	Shabbat
1836	5597	Monday
1835	5596	Thursday
1834	5595	Shabbat
1833	5594	Shabbat
1832	5593	Tuesday
1831	5592	Thursday
1830	5591	Shabbat
1829	5590	Monday
1828	5589	Tuesday
1827	5588	Shabbat
1826	5587	Monday
1825	5586	Tuesday
1824	5585	Thursday
1823	5584	Shabbat
1822	5583	Monday
1821	5582	Thursday
1820	5581	Shabbat
1819	5580	Monday
1818	5579	Thursday
1817	5578	Thursday
1816	5577	Monday
1815	5576	Thursday
1814	5575	Thursday
1813	5574	Shabbat
1812	5573	Monday
1811	5572	Thursday
1810	5571	Shabbat
1809	5570	Monday
1808	5569	Thursday
1807	5568	Shabbat
1806	5567	Shabbat
1805	5566	Tuesday
1804	5565	Thursday
1803	5564	Shabbat
1802	5563	Monday
1801	5562	Tuesday
1800	5561	Shabbat
1799	5560	Monday
1798	5559	Tuesday
1797	5558	Thursday
1796	5557	Monday
1795	5556	Monday
1794	5555	Thursday
1793	5554	Shabbat
1792	5553	Monday
1791	5552	Thursday
1790	5551	Thursday
1789	5550	Monday
1788	5549	Thursday
1787	5548	Thursday
1786	5547	Shabbat
1785	5546	Monday
1784	5545	Thursday
1783	5544	Shabbat
1782	5543	Monday
1781	5542	Thursday
1780	5541	Shabbat
1779	5540	Shabbat
1778	5539	Tuesday
1777	5538	Thursday
1776	5537	Shabbat
1775	5536	Monday
1774	5535	Tuesday
1773	5534	Shabbat
1772	5533	Monday
1771	5532	Monday
1770	5531	Thursday
1769	5530	Monday
1768	5529	Monday
1767	5528	Thursday
1766	5527	Thursday
1765	5526	Monday
1764	5525	Thursday
1763	5524	Thursday
1762	5523	Shabbat