This Rosh Hashanah, Do We Reallyt Want a Complete Return

Charlotte Jewish News September 2021

By Rabbi Tracy G. Klirs, Temple Kol Tikvah

According to rabbinic tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the anniversary of creation, and as such is associated with themes of renewal and rebirth. The dominant theme of the Yamim Nora’im, or the Days of Awe as the High Holy Days are called in Hebrew, is T’shuvah, or repentance. T’shuvah is from the root shuv meaning return. Much of the liturgy during this season focuses on the idea of returning to our original state, something comparable to the state of innocence represented by the Garden of Eden at the very beginning of Creation. The yearning to reset our lives to an earlier, more spiritually pure, less complicated time, is achingly expressed in the plea, “Hashiveinu, Adonai, eilekha v’nashuva. Khadeish yameinu k’kedem.” (Return us to You, Adonai, and we shall return. Renew our days as in the past.) This refrain is repeated in the Shema Koleinu prayer recited after the vidui, or confession, multiple times throughout Yom Kippur. The same line is also sung at the end of every Torah service, not only on the High Holy Days, but throughout the year.

Last year High Holy Day services were disrupted as the pandemic forced synagogues to shift their services online. This year, as more and more synagogues have begun to open their doors and gradually resume in-person services and programs, many who deeply missed the experience of being together physically for the holidays last year are excitedly anticipating returning to their synagogue buildings for this High Holy Day season. This year when we sing Hashiveinu, it will be with a measure of gratitude that we have, in fact, been able to return, in large measure, to the way we used to observe the holidays.

And yet, things will not be exactly as they were before the pandemic. Especially in the face of the rapidly spreading, more virulent Delta variant, synagogues will still need to implement common-sense COVID protections, such as indoor masking, greater spacing between seats, possibly reducing the number of people who can be on the bimah simultaneously, and more. And almost certainly, most synagogues will continue to offer live streaming or Zoom, or other remote options, recognizing that not all of their congregants will be able to attend in person. Some of those congregants, such as

the home-bound, physically frail, immunocompromised, and those recovering from severe injury or illness, would not have been able to attend irrespective of a raging pandemic. For all those people, the ability to access services remotely has been more than a boon; it has made it possible for them to participate and to feel part of their communities. Further, since the pandemic forced synagogues all over to pivot to remote services, Jews who live in far-flung areas, which have no synagogues within dozens or even hundreds of miles, have been able to reap the benefits of remote services and have far greater access to Jewish observance, celebration, and community than ever before.

As we celebrate coming back together, returning to beloved spaces, and seeing beloved friends again, do we in fact want to return to exactly as things were k’kedem, as in the past? Or will we see

the wisdom and tremendous benefit of continuing to utilize new technologies and methods to reach out to the greatest number of Jews, find ways to expand beyond our brick-and-mortar walls, and enable our communities to connect, learn and flourish in multiple spaces, both physical and virtual?

In 5782 may we once again discover that which our ancestors knew to be holy, true and grounding. At the same time, may we learn how to transform ourselves, our spiritual communities, and our communal spaces into entities without borders, connecting the past, present, and future of our people.