Tasting Olam Haba

Hannah Roussel

October is celebrated as National Disability Employment and Awareness Month (NDEAM). This month provides employers with the opportunity to reflect on ways to increase accommodations and foster inclusion for their employees. It also serves as a platform for job seekers to receive support in finding inclusive jobs, and for employees to advocate for necessary workplace accommodations.

I observed NDEAM by attending RespectAbility’s NDEAM summit (click the link for recordings and resources). I received training by disabled people for disabled people on professional development and career searches. This summit was motivated by a desire to make the world a better, more inclusive place, and it prompted me to think about the Jewish concept of Olam Haba.

Olam Haba, meaning the world to come, refers to a peaceful and holy afterlife and/or the new world that God will build after the coming of the Messiah. Olam Haba isn’t something we have to wait for. Jewish tradition teaches that Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, is meant to be a taste of Olam Haba, a sneak peak of a better world. This concept of tasting a better world has simultaneously intrigued and eluded me for most of my life.

On Shabbat, many Jews rest from work and gather with their community for prayer, Torah study, and companionship. Many congregations refrain from concerns they talk about the other six days, such as finances, so as to not draw attention to differences in economic status that could make some members feel shame or embarrassment. Similarly, many Jews do not engage in public media on Shabbat – not only to abstain from using electricity, but also to not let worldly and often distressing images and messages be distractions. Shabbat is a time to rest from the overwhelming chaos and stresses in the world. In doing so we hope to experience a bit of the peace and holiness promised in Olam Haba.

In Jeremiah 31:8-9, G-d promises to bring people who may be disenfranchised and marginalized back to Israel “by a level road where they will not stumble.” Olam Haba includes accommodations! A peaceful and holy world is not one where disabilities are “cured.” It is but a world in which all bodies and people fully belong.

Many synagogues and other faith congregations have inaccessible buildings, policies, and attitudes that exclude people with disabilities and other marginalized populations. How can I taste Olam Haba in these circumstances?

To be perfectly honest, I can’t.

Instead, I find myself experiencing Olam Haba in radically inclusive spaces, both Jewish and secular. I’ve most recently tasted Olam Haba while working in the National Disability Leadership Fellowship at RespectAbility. There is a current shortage of ADHD medication, and I recently found myself without medication for a full work week. I shared this with my supervisor, Shelly Christensen, and she responded with compassion and understanding, telling me to take the time I needed to complete my work that week and not stress about efficiency. In work meetings, I can fidget without my colleagues and superiors thinking I’m not paying attention. And if I get excited and interrupt or ramble, my coworkers appreciate my enthusiasm and gently help me get back on track. Recently my throat was swollen from a medical procedure, and I struggled to speak. When I typed in the Zoom chat instead of speaking, my co-Fellow Samuel Krauss immediately started reading what I typed so I was heard. This is radical inclusion. This is a taste of Olam Haba.

Let us use NDEAM as a reminder to continue to create these moments of Olam Haba in our workplaces and religious communities throughout the whole year.