The former US Surgeon General, Vivek Murphy, stated that loneliness causes as much physical stress to the body as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. That is a terrifying statistic. Yet loneliness is easy to cure. As soon as someone reaches out, makes it clear that he or she cares, then that person no longer feels alone. And the loneliness can dissipate. This is why the Hebrew word for “worry” is “da’agah” which is explained as having 4 of the first 5 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. What is missing is the second letter, the “beit” which is numerically equivalent to the number 2. This is the reminder that we were created to need another. We were created to work together. No one is intended to get through life alone. And this is also why the Torah begins with the letter “beit” (which also is a word, “bayit” meaning “home.” As that is our job…to reach out to others, those we know and those we don’t know, and to make them feel at home!
Police in England have installed two chat benches to encourage community members to lend an ear. (Photo: Courtesy of Burnham-On-Sea.com)
