L'Chaim (newsletter) article, September, 2022: Striving for Balance in the New Year

Striving for Balance in the New Year

It’s hard to believe, but we are about to enter our third High Holiday season of the Covid-era. And it really has turned into an era, hasn’t it? Remember when the pandemic first began, and we thought we were shutting down “normal” operations for a week or two? Obviously (we told ourselves), once this crazy thing blew over, it would be back to business as usual. Oy. Then we gradually realized it would be going on for longer - a lot longer - and once we entered the second year and the conversation shifted to one new strain after another, people really started to accept the concept of “a new normal.”

So, here we are in year three. The good news is, the fatality rates have dropped significantly, and we’re (please God) hopefully entering the phase where Covid is another version of the flu; requiring vigilance and inoculation, but not causing widespread existential dread. With the High Holidays just a few weeks away, this is a good time for us to reflect on what has remained the same and what has changed. What new things, for better and for worse, have we had to embrace or at least acquiesce to incorporating into our lives? And what have we had to let go of to function and to adjust? So many things seem vastly different, before Covid vs. after.

Yet, at the same time, our values and needs are in many ways still the same. How we feel about family, community, and the world around us persists, despite some new considerations. And it is this balance that I invite us all to hold onto as we enter the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe (a.k.a. The High Holidays). In Judaism, we sometimes talk about “Keva” and “Kavanah.” Keva refers to fixed prayers that repeat service after service, day after day, century after century; e.g. the Shema, Amidah, Aleinu, and Kaddish. Some stuff remains the same, and that helps us feel safe, comfortable, familiar, and a sense of belonging.

But there’s also Kavanah, meaning “spirituality” or “intention,” and very often this requires newness, change, updating, and fresh approaches. We are encouraged to offer our own individual, unique prayers, and through those prayers perhaps view ourselves and the world around us with a fresh perspective. And this is my hope for all of us as we enter the High Holidays. Let us hold onto what is the same year after year and feels safe and reassuring - the Sanctuary, the familiar tunes, and the cycle of Jewish holidays. Yet let’s also embrace the “new normal” of hybrid services with a zoom component, and the ways that our lives feel different this year from every year that came before.

We need a healthy balance of Tradition and Change. It is true for navigating a post-pandemic world, how we should think about Jewish prayer, and perhaps also for how we live our lives. It is good to feel comfortable, yet it’s also imperative that we challenge ourselves to do new (and sometimes scary) things. Rosh Hashanah is still a few weeks away. I hope we can all use this time to find our Keva *and* our Kavanah, and enter the new year with both a sense of belonging and groundedness, yet also feeling ready (and maybe even excited?) for whatever changes still await us.

Shanah Tovah u’Metukah - I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Sweet New Year!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Gerber