As 5780 comes to a close, and the Jewish people prepare to turn their expectant eyes and heartfelt prayers to G‑d for a good and sweet new year, Chabad centers are working feverishly to put the finishing touches on an unprecedented variety of services for those observing Rosh Hashanah in synagogues, at home or in public spaces during the global coronavirus pandemic. The overarching aim is to bring to Jewish people everywhere the message of faith, renewal and hope embedded in the holiday, which begins on Friday night, Sept. 18, and concludes on Sunday night, Sept. 20.
Communities are still in various levels of quarantine on every continent, and with social distancing and other preventative measures in place, many synagogues are not permitted to operate at full capacity. Conventional gatherings of any kind are still quite some time away, so worshippers are encouraged to take advantage of many innovative programs offered by Chabad centers everywhere, and to consult Chabad.org’s extensive collection of instructive and inspirational articles and videos to help prepare for the holiday, including an extensive new High Holidays COVID Resources section for those praying at home.
The primary mitzvah of the day is to hear the shofar. Typically blown in the synagogue, there are multiple options available for those who cannot do so this year.
Inspired by calls from the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—to make the shofar accessible to Jewish people everywhere, for decades many Chabad centers have arranged for social-distanced “Shofar in the Park” events where people can gather in a safe way and hear the shofar outdoors—be it in a park, a street corner or any other neutral public space. Chabad.org has compiled many of these events in the interactive online directory so that as many Jews as possible are able to fulfill this mitzvah.
On Call for Hospitals, Senior Centers, Homebound
For anyone who cannot attend an outdoor event, such as those in hospitals, senior-citizen facilities or people at risk quarantined at home, a Chabad rabbi may be nearby. Visitations for a shofar-blowing can be arranged on demand. Every year, rabbinical students and other volunteers comb the streets for mitzvah opportunities, and this year, they are more ready than ever.
In Los Angeles, home to a vibrant Chabad yeshivah and a very large Jewish community to match, every year sees hundreds of black-hatted young foot soldiers doing the shofar rounds in malls, on street corners, in nursing homes and hospitals, and at other gathering spots throughout the city.
“The local bikur cholim organization handed out fliers in all the synagogues notifying people that anyone in the hospital over the holiday can request a visitation, and someone will come and blow the shofar for them,” Sholom Ceitlin, a student in the yeshivah told Chabad.org. “We’re working with the hospitals to see how we can do that—for some possibly outdoors, and for others as the hospital instructs us.” The same is for the senior facilities sprinkled around the neighborhood.
Rabbi Levi Druk and his wife, Chani, of Chabad of Downtown Baltimore are taking things to the next level. When Druk saw that the coronavirus would upend his usual routine of meeting six to seven weeks prior in the Chabad House to train and run the gamut of hospitals over the holiday, he decided to train local residents to blow the shofar for others.
The new corps of trained shofar-blowers will graduate soon, able and ready to safely bring the shofar down the hallways of the hospitals and senior centers, together with the help of Rabbi Zev Gopin at Chabad of Johns Hopkins & Central Baltimore.
“We’re using the current situation as an opportunity to visit more people in their homes, beyond the usual hospital visitations,” said Druk. “Whatever it is—blowing from behind a curtain, abandoning the idea of going out in pairs and going solo instead—we’re ready to meet the challenge. The main thing is to safely and responsibly bring the mitzvah to every Jew we can.”
For the more ambitious, there’s always the option to purchase a shofar and learn how to do it yourself. Chabad.org has created an online tutorial, complete with text, video, and live instruction. The course promises “everything you need to know about procuring, blowing and experiencing the power of the shofar.”
The instructions, blessings and other relevant text for the shofar-blowing ritual are available online in a downloadable, printable PDF.
Services Everywhere, Including at Home
Though the pandemic has placed severe limitations on social gathering, services in some capacity are being held around the world, subject to the specific health guidelines in each location. Some larger facilities are hosting services indoors with limited capacity, while many others are staging services outdoors. Many impromptu and ad hoc services are being held in hundreds of smaller locations across the globe as well.
Chabad.org has compiled many of these services in an online directory, where anyone can locate the nearest and most convenient type of service that suits them.
For those unable to venture out to any sort of service, Chabad has kicked into high gear to make a meaningful holiday possible for them, too. Many local Chabad centers have hosted Zoom conferences in anticipation of the holiday, teaching community members the various laws, customs and rituals that can be done at home—and there are many of them.
For those who have not yet had that opportunity, numerous resources are available online at Chabad.org for the holiday at home. For the first time ever, Chabad.org has partnered with Kehot Publication Society to produce a printable booklet that contains many of the key Rosh Hashanah prayers (a Yom Kippur pamphlet is in the works).
For those who wish to evoke the holiday spirit in music and song, recordings of many highlights—tunes, cantorial renditions and sing-along prayers—are available online at Chabad.org as well.
Many of the videos to aid those wishing to celebrate at home have been collected, bringing the prospect of an inspiring and robust holiday experience at home within reach. And. of course, those wishing to study before the holiday begins can browse the extensive library of study material on the site with the option of printing materials beforehand to read further on the holiday itself.
All in all, these unprecedented times have brought about a wealth of resources. “This year, more than ever, the world has come to the realization that the one thing we not only believe in, but we can truly rely upon, is G‑d,” says Rabbi Yosef Wilhelm of Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper East Side. “For me, my community and really the entire world, Rosh Hashanah this year is a welcome opportunity to express our gratitude to G‑d, and we are happy that in some way or another, we can celebrate it as we always have.”
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