The holidays during COVID

 

Rabbi Stollman

Approaching the 9th month of the pandemic, we are faced with the challenge, yet again, of how to celebrate a holiday during a time of isolation and separation.

As many families cancelled their annual Thanksgiving dinners with  relatives in order to remain safe, we continue to experience the ongoing sense of loss and grief. I am not sure we will ever get to a stage of acceptance.

Hanukkah, known as the Festival of Lights, runs from December 10 through December 18. How can it help illuminate a dark and sad time for us? Originally intended to be a private celebration at home, hanukkiyahs, or menorahs, are displayed in the window for the passerby to enjoy. This year, they will continue to light the darkness, even if no one is on the street to see it. As the light grows with each night of the eight-branched candelabrum, we hope to bring more light into our world. The light commemorates the legend of the single cruse of oil that lasted eight nights. We traditionally eat foods fried in oil such as latkes, potato pancakes, or sufganiyot, jelly donuts. Due to the influence of other December holidays, it has also become the main gift- giving holiday for Jews in North America.

Most people do not know this, but because Hanukkah does not originate in the Bible, it is considered a minor festival. While Jews often gather for parties and public candle lightings, it is perfectly acceptable (although maybe not preferable) to celebrate with those only in your household. If not, virtual gatherings may be an option as well, or following CDC guidelines for celebrating outdoors.

The word Hanukkah comes from the Hebrew word for dedication, and it is derived from the Maccabees’ rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. While we are not celebrating as we might have in the past, we can rededicate ourselves to what is most important. The moral of the Hanukkah story in the ancient texts reminds us that “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit says the Lord of Hosts” (Zech 4:6). Faith and hope can be more useful than strength sometimes.

I encourage you to see this holiday as an opportunity to help bring light into the world– from donating money or gifts to charitable organizations, called tzedakah. While we may feel physically restricted this year, we are still blessed with our religious freedoms to celebrate and many of us have the means to help others.

Let us remember the importance of the blessings we say on the fi rst night as we light the lone candle. In addition to thanking God for enabling us to fulfi ll the mitzvah or commandment of kindling the holiday lights, we thank God for helping us reach this season, and the great miracle that took place for our ancestors. No matter what we face in the world right now, we still can thank God for what we have, including the blessing of each new day and the hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Pastor Andy Hagen

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 We have been walking through a unique kind of darkness these past eight months. Without warning, we were plunged into darkness when the COVID pandemic arrived. In this darkness, we experienced fear of contracting the illness, worry, and grief for those affected, anxiety due to a shaken economy, tension over increased political division, and confusion over safe practices. The greatest darkness may well be a sense of isolation from each other.

The blessing of belonging to a community of faith is that our members have had many opportunities to “walk in the light” together. Our Bible studies and small groups have continued to meet through the blessing of Zoom and in person when safe. I’ll never forget the smiles of joy the first time some of our seniors figured out how to join us online! Safely distanced, we’ve been able to worship together since May. It is a strange thing as a pastor to preach to a room of bank robbers! One woman shared with me that her church is the only thing that has kept her from loneliness and despair. “How are those who don’t have a church getting through?” she wondered. Not well, I fear, for the darkness is deep.

My family has also been looking forward to the ray of light expected with our first grandchild’s arrival in January. Our weeks and months have been filled with the same kind of excitement and anticipation that inspired Isaiah to share words of hope to those people walking in darkness- “For to us a child is born, a son is given.” Isaiah 9:6 May such joy dawn on us all.

 

The High Holy Days of 2020

In the Bible, we find the origin for the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The Book of Leviticus (23:24- 25) declares: “In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of rest, a memorial proclaimed with the blowing of the shofar, a holy convocation.” However, for the first time in thousands of years, the delivery model for this worship will change.

The Hebrew root for the word “Shanah” means to change, shinui. This is typically referring to our personal evaluation and change that takes place over the High Holy Days, but this year we are faced with even greater ways to transform our worship.

Over the past few months, clergy have struggled with the dilemma of how to offer meaningful worship for the High Holy Days during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questions range from: “Can we accomplish a lengthy service filled with sermons, song, shofar blasts, and Torah readings through a virtual platform?” to “Can we figure out how to safely host a socially-distanced service where the clergy and a choir deliver a full worship service?”

Most have concluded that online is the only way to ensure the safety of their congregations. Unfortunately, this leads to a myriad of other dilemmas:

  • Will worship be in a virtual meeting platform (interactive both ways) or on a webinar (interactive one-way) where people can only see the speaker?
  • Should we pre-record or conduct live services?
  • Should we stream worship to a website or a social media account?
  • What if we lose power, Wi-Fi cuts out, or my children walk in and interrupt the service?

For a religion like Judaism, which places a great deal of importance on tradition and communal gatherings for Torah reading and saying certain prayers in a minyan, a gathering of 10 adults all tackling a new delivery model for the holiest day of the year seems like a great mountain to climb.

Martin Buber, a great 20th-century Jewish philosopher, once wrote about the distinction between an I-It relationship and an I-Thou relationship. The I-It relationship is a superficial relationship between two people, which is now reinforced through virtual meetings thanks to mandatory isolation. The I-Thou relationship is the creation of a deeper connection with another human being, leading us closer to a relationship with God.

The true task of the High Holy Days is not about how long the worship service runs or if it was the best video and music production. It is about the prayer, the melancholy tones that are chanted, and a sermon that educates, inspires, and provides hope for the year to come. It will be the roles of the clergy to create space for the I-Thou relationship to occur.

Psalm 82:1 reminds us that “God stands in the congregation of God” and we have an opportunity to reinterpret this metaphor in our current reality.

The world feels so very broken right now. People are not only fighting a virus in different ways but are bombarded with the tense political climate. We are suffering losses in many capacities; we are grieving loved ones, missing our “normal” routines, and missing out on the ability to visit with friends and family. These changes have affected our mental and physical wellbeing and will continue to do so as we see no end in sight.

The Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, remind us that life continues to move forward whether we are ready for it or not. However bleak things may be, we must continue to search for meaning and find our purpose. By taking the time to pause on these High Holy Days, we cash in on the reality check we all so desperately need. The world is reaching its birthday on Rosh Hashanah and we have a chance to renew ourselves and refocus our goals.

For some, not entering a physical building removes a barrier for worship participation. By observing the High Holy Days in a virtual platform, there is no one to care what shoes or handbag you are wearing or to remember when you last stepped foot in a synagogue. No one can hear whether you know the words and sing along, or if your child is making noise in the background.

The playing field for participation is leveled. Everyone has the same seat in the sanctuary – in front of an electronic device. You can have your camera off or on – you can be seen or hold on to your anonymity.

For others, this virtual space will be much harder. Those who look forward to experiencing everything happening in three dimensions or reuniting with friends they have not seen all summer will feel as if they missed out on something. Everyone will be muted figuratively and literally.

One thing is for certain. Whatever happens, it will most definitely not be a repeat of the year prior or of decades before. Clergy have been pushed in new directions to rethink High Holy Days altogether. We must remember that this is not necessarily a bad thing. Inspired by learning new technology, they have been forced to innovate, which may prove to be particularly engaging for everyone in the virtual prayer space.

It is important to use this time to reflect on the change you want to occur in your life before you experience a new modality of worship. May you all have a Shanah Tovah, a “good change” or a happy new year, and a G’mar Chatimah Tovah, be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for good.

 

By Rabbi Melissa Stollman

SoFlo BUZZ: New rabbi at Temple Beth Orr

Temple Beth Orr in Coral Springs welcomed its new rabbi July 1.

Rabbi Laura Rappaport’s first service at Temple Beth Orr was held via Zoom on Friday, July 3.

Michael Koss, President of Temple Beth Orr, said that Rabbi Rappaport has been described as “very caring, welcoming, and gets involved with each member of the congregation”.

Rabbi Rappaport served as the Associate Rabbi and Educator at Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax, Virginia. She has a background as a pulpit rabbi, a director of congregational learning, a board-certified hospital chaplain, a director of non-profits, an adjunct college faculty member, and the mother of two.

Rabbi Rappaport grew up in rural Northwest New Jersey and received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her M.A.H.L. and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Jerusalem and Cincinnati campuses). She has also completed masters’ level courses in bioethics from Rush University and University of Washington and doctoral level courses in Jewish studies from Spertus College in Chicago.

Rabbi Rappaport is immensely proud of her two daughters, Tanya and Rosa. Tanya is a registered dietician, working for a non-profit in Seattle. Rosa is an environmental resource engineer, currently living in Tel Aviv. Rabbi Rappaport enjoys running/working out, indie/alternative music, listening to The Moth and This American Life, hiking, and occasionally playing the hammered dulcimer.

Temple Beth Orr is a multi-generational and multi-ethnic community, made up of singles, couples, interfaith, and gay and lesbian families. It is located at 2151 Riverside Drive, Coral Springs.