rear pew mirror • doug brook
Bye Holy Days
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September 2020 • Southern Jewish Life
Nearly both readers of this column have no doubt joined their fellow humans in eagerly anticipating the end of 2020. Some people’s reasons are different than others’ reasons, and some of them are even right about it. Just ask them. Regardless, this it-can’t-end-soon-enough sentiment has been prevalent throughout society amid 2020’s ever-growing pandemics of Coronavirus and corruption, onset of sheltering in place and feeling out of place, and departure of Barbara Walters from the airwaves. It didn’t even wait, as it does most years, until the Mets were eliminated from postseason contention two weeks before the abridged baseball season began. While Nov. 3 is popularly — as well as electorally — circled on calendars nationwide, so is Dec. 31. To find the last time when the end of a year was this eagerly anticipated by this many people, one must go all the way back to 2019. But why wait four more months until next year? The Jewish calendar has a New Year’s Day much sooner, in September. In fact, it has two days of it, so there’s plenty to share. There are many resources that legitimately explain the High Holy Days, so instead of re-explaining them here, the following expounds on uniquenesses that are unique to this unique year. This year’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur will be unlike any that came before. In some ways, it might actually be good; in others, less so. One difference is that, to get a head start on next year, those who take the rare opportunity to attend services in person this Rosh Hashanah will receive a form for how they want to appear in next year’s yahrtzeit book. For everyone who will be home-shuling this holiday season, it will be tempting to not dress as they would if going to synagogue. This is a great and terrible thing. First of all, please dress. In something, at least. It’s a time for baring our souls, but not our soles — or anything above them. More to the point… On the one hand, when attending from home instead of together, it is even more incumbent to do whatever we can to create Never has a a sacred space for ourselves in respect to new year been ourselves, each other, and the Big G. After all, houses aren’t synagogues, and this is the season of seeking forgiveness and inso eagerly scription in next year’s Book of Life. anticipated On the other hand, the Big G is likely to get in several giggles because of people wearing a dress or shirt, tie, coat, and slacks, along with slippers once featured at Kids ‘R’ Us. And, yes, you should pick up the place a bit. Nobody’s Wednesday socks have ever been on the floor in the room next to Rosh Hashanah services. Come on; it’s Saturday already. (Thursday socks are understandable.) A benefit of online services is that there is far less consternation about someone sitting in another person’s seat in the sanctuary. The preferred location on the couch is a different matter, but at least is an internal matter to resolve rather than a family feud that could end up before the synagogue board and mediated by Steve Harvey. The onset of remote services raises some issues of cybersecurity but the good news is that it addresses various issues of synagogue security. With everyone tuning in from home, it’s thankfully far more difficult for an assailant to carry out a mid-service mass shooting. continued on previous page