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Shavua Tov,
As we close out a beautiful and bittersweet Shabbat at our shul, the reality of the days ahead truly begins to set in. It is impossible for me to articulate how heart-rendering and unthinkable the prospect of closing our doors and shuttering our shul is to me. We are a community that prides ourselves on our unity and closeness and the idea of disbanding, separating and isolating from one another goes against all that we believe in and work so hard on. Davening as a community in communal prayer is central and core to who we are as individuals, as a community and as a people.
And yet that is why we are taking this unthinkable yet necessary step at this time to cease all operations within our building effective immediately.
To be clear, we have not been instructed to quarantine. We are not obligated to remain in our homes at all times. We have been advised to shut down the shul to maximize social distancing, best achieved by avoiding gatherings.
Taking this draconian measure to close our shul is a reflection of the severity of this moment. It goes without saying that if we are forfeiting Tefillah B'Tzibbur (communal prayer), we must be equally vigilant to avoid other places of gathering as much as possible (such as the gym, the mall, movie theaters, public sit-down eating areas, etc.). All community members are strongly encouraged to work from home, if possible.
At the same time, our Young Israel is much for than just a building. We will be launching a number of virtual opportunities for us to continue to connect, learn and grow together beyond our structure. Towards that end, I invite you to join me tomorrow night at 7:45 PM for some words of inspiration and an update via Zoom (see log-in information below).
Here is some important information for the upcoming days:
Young Israel Building
The building is closed until further notice. We will continue to evaluate and update the community every few days. If you need to retrieve something from the building, please be in touch with me.
Minyanim
Obviously, minyanim will NOT be meeting.
Under these conditions in which we are unable to pray together in the same space, our sages felt that praying together at the same time serves as a virtual-bridge between us and binds our prayers into a force beyond compare.
Towards that end and to the extend possible, we invite everyone to daven together at our regular times (tomorrow, Sunday: Shacharit 8:15 am and Mincha & Maariv 6:45 pm). We will be having a virtual davening get-together tomorrow beginning at 8:15 am via Zoom (see log-in information below). Obviously, we will not be able to form an actual minyan but it will give us an opportunity to daven together. Plus, we will use this opportunity to explain what should be said and what should be skipped without a minyan.
We implore you not to attend other minyanim and not to form private minyanim in households or even outdoors. This will undermine our communal effort to slow the spread of coronavirus. We need to lead by example and I personally will be davening alone in my home.
Kaddish
Being away from shul is difficult for all of us, and I'm sure that it stings particularly hard for those who are saying Kaddish. I am working on arranging with a rabbi in a community where shuls are not closed to say Kaddish on behalf of those who cannot here. Please let me know if you would like to be added to this list.
Additionally, learning some mishnayot in memory of loved ones can be a powerful memorial as well. I would only add the words of the Arukh HaShulchan, who-in the context of an old debate over who gets precedence regarding saying Kaddish-wrote:
אע"פ שאמירת הקדיש והתפלות מועילות להאבות, מכל מקום אין אלו העיקר, אלא העיקר הוא שהבנים ילכו באורח מישור, כי בזה הם מזכים האבות...
Even though saying Kaddish and prayers assists our ancestors, it is not the most important thing for them-the most important thing is that their children live upright lives.
I can think of no better way to bring honor and merit and pride to our ancestors than an act of love in the hopes of saving lives-which is precisely what we are all doing together.
Shiurim and Classes
We will continue to have our regular scheduled learning opportunities (and even launching some new ones).
For right now, my Talmud class will be taking place like regular tomorrow morning at 9 am via Zoom (log on information is below). All are invited to join!!
Chesed & Volunteers
If you are staying home out of caution and need assistance with providing for your needs (such as food shopping), please contact me and we will help make arrangements with our volunteers.
Also, volunteers can sign up here: https://forms.gle/KoDSH1uCLGYsLPbBA
Shiva
Sick and Shivah visits should be conducted by telephone or video calls.
Mikvah
While Mikvah will remain open, women under mandatory quarantine or who are experiencing symptoms may not use the Mikvah. Please see the message from the mikvah below and feel free to call me with any questions.
I anticipate the situation will continue to evolve and we will continue to re-evaluate and send out further communications. In the meantime, we remain available to answer questions or to arrange help in any way that we can. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me or Les Loew!
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support – for the shul and for each other! Like with all things, we are in this – and will get through this – together!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Tuvia Brander
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