Dear Congregants and Friends,
Each year as I step onto the synagogue campus for Holy Day services, the scene does most of the work for me. The tent, the grounds, the sea of chairs, and especially the throngs of people, all take me immediately to the place I need to be.
For these next weeks, we will be celebrating from our own homes. This means that we will be both comforted and distracted by the things that make our home “home.” It means that we will need to do some extra work to get in the mood and stay tuned in.
Jewish teachers around the world are recommending that all of us try to create what’s known as a makom kadosh, or a “sacred space” where we can set up our computer, lay out our prayer books, don our talleisim, and focus ourselves on the holy work at hand.
Each of us will meet this task in our own way, depending on the layout of our home, the desires and needs of our housemates, and our particular zitzfleish (Yiddish for our tolerance for sitting in one place). Some will drape a table with a white cloth; some will light a candle and soften the light; some will turn the lights all the way up, or plant ourselves by a big sunny window. Some will distance ourselves from the refrigerator. Some will choose the opposite approach! Some will sit outdoors. Some will want to stay cozily within.
The idea is to make your home feel like “home” and more. Next year, God willing, we’ll be in that place that works its magic on our minds and hearts. This year, we can get there in a different way.
L’shanah Tovah,
