Rabbis' Voice Articles

As Elton John sang, “I think it’s gonna be a long, long time.” 

I write this in the middle of October, and it seems like COVID is going to be with us for a while, and shul as we knew it will be a long time in returning to “normal.” 

So what do we do in the meantime? 

We’ll keep doing minyan on Zoom. For so many of us, gathering, even virtually, seeing and hearing others and being heard and seen by others has been so important. For the many people saying kaddish, for a yahrzeit or during a period of mourning, the regularity of minyan has, I know, been a comfort. 

Friday nights we’re going to keep on Zoom too, to allow participation. But as the sun sets earlier and earlier, we’re going to move Friday afternoon/Kabbalat Shabbat services earlier and earlier. And it’s going to get pretty early—around 3pm for several weeks. 

In some sense, during COVID, we are doubling down on our halakhic commitments to making Shabbat feel different, by only streaming and not Zooming on Shabbat. And particularly, when so many of us are on our devices so many hours each day, taking Shabbat seriously with our screens feels right to me. 

We’ll keep streaming on Shabbat mornings, with an abbreviated service, in recognition of the very different experience of watching shul streaming from home. At shul, you can get up, get some coffee, chat for a while, but what you’re distracted by is, in some sense, shul, and the people there. At home, what you’re distracted by while watching shul is probably not some other aspect of shul. Additionally, for the people in the building, for safety, we want to keep things shorter rather than longer. 

We’ll be offering a range of learning opportunities, geared toward us and taught internally, and some taught by people around the country in conjunction with the Conservative Movement and other organizations. If you’re not finding prayer as meaningful now, for very understandable reasons, this is the best time ever to explore some Jewish learning instead. If you’re looking for particular kinds of learning, let Rabbi Shafrin or me know and we can help you find just the right thing. 

Any crisis entails challenge and loss, but also opportunity. So with holiday celebrations, we’re thinking about the opportunities we have to innovate. How could we reimagine celebrating Hanukkah, Tu Bishvat, Purim or Passover in new, meaningful ways that will involve many different segments of our community? If you’re interested in being involved in planning these celebrations, let me know! 

As always, keep your feedback and suggestions coming, and if you’d like to chat and check in, let us know!