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SURFSIDE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida rabbi who has recovered from COVID-19 is speaking out about his recovery from the virus that nearly took his life.
Rabbi Shalom Lipskar is a well respected, well loved rabbi, and as some restrictions begin to relax, he wants to make sure South Florida still takes the pandemic seriously.
“Thank God I’m feeling well,” he said Thursday. “They forced me into the hospital, which was a blessing, a miracle itself. Fear nothing and nobody except almighty God, so I didn’t have any fear, but I did have trepidation. I was concerned.”
In March, Lipskar had a high fever and was saying his prayers inside the COVID-19 unit at the University of Miami’s UHealth Hospital.
“We still need prayers, of course, especially for those that we know are not well,” he said in March.
For nine days, he was treated by doctors and nurses he could not see because they were completely covered in PPE.
“In order to come see me, they had to get dressed in this space clothing,” Lipskar said. “It was like these Martians coming out of space.”
Dr. Martin Zak was one of the doctors behind all the gear who treated the rabbi.
“His case was unique in the sense he was one of the first patients we had,” Zak said.
Zak said the rabbi was a memorable patient because he spoke often about his spirituality.
Lipskar would usually be leading the community at The Shul, a synagogue in Surfside, but once he had to leave and was admitted into UHealth, he began to contemplate mortality.
Surviving COVID-19 has given him a new perspective on living in the present moment.
“The present moment is valuable beyond one can comprehend,” he said. “Life is time, period. The quality of life is how you fill that time, period, so all of the sudden, you realize every single moment is life.”
The rabbi wants to use some of his time to give a warning as South Florida slowly reopens. He said it is crucial to follow social distancing rules with the virus continuing to remain in the region.
“This is a plague,” Lipskar said. “This is something that is a very serious matter.”
The rabbi said he plans to return to the synagogue next Friday.
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