Related Blog Posts on COVID-19, Elul, High Holidays, Jewish Rituals and Symbols, Ritual Objects, and Worship

An Al Cheit for this Moment in Time

Rabbi Susan Talve
I’m praying that these weeks of consolation before the High Holidays will give us the time to confront our sins and respond in ways that will help us to heal from our brokenness and find the courage and resolve to build a better year for all.

What Does the Torah Teach Us about Social Distancing?

Rabbi Wendy Pein

We've learned to procure the basics and meet many of our needs in new ways; with digital technology, we have found substitutes that have enabled us to learn and socialize virtually. Yet the Torah reminds us that individualism and isolation are not the ideal state of being.

Shabbat as Alternate Time, Especially During the Pandemic

Michele Braun

Friday’s sunset could be no different than Thursday’s, a time marker notching off another day or another week, but Shabbat requires us to mark a more substantial difference,  Regularity is key to keep track of our lives between other Jewish times and when days blur into each other.

The Power of Shabbat, Even Over the Loudspeaker

Cantor Laura Stein, LMSW

Even as structure and routine begin to crumble, ritual observances don’t stop for the virus. As did many generations of Jews before us, we must adapt ritual to this unprecedented way of life, and Shabbat services, a mainstay for nursing home residents, necessitated creative adaptation.

And You Shall Love

Avital Abraham

This week, I tell a friend I’d love to chat but actually I have to run Yom Kippur services are starting soon and I’ve got to repent for my sins before the gates are closed. She laughs. “Well, you’re gay, so you’ve definitely got a lot of repenting to do.”