As I was thinking about a topic for this month, the title of one of my favorite novels came to mind, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Coronavirus is our modern-day cholera or plague. To say the least, we live in interesting times.
And these times call for creative ways to stay connected. We have begun to make those connections by purchasing a Zoom videoconferencing account for our Temple community.
Since I began as your student rabbi this past September, these monthly columns for my beloved congregants at United Hebrew Congregation have offered a breath of fresh air from the arduous papers assigned in rabbinical school.
But most importantly, this space has served as an outlet to express precepts our tradition teaches in relation to our everyday lives. I have found deep joy in the hope that my words might provide comfort, significance or an opportunity for learning.
Lately, however, I have struggled to compose thoughts that might bring meaning to your lives and the lives of your loved ones, amidst the challenges we all face daily during this pandemic.
If ever a subject existed where people felt comfortable offering criticism, religion must be near the top of the list.
And so it is that we get to the core of Scott Shay’s book, In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism (Post Hill Press, 2018).
Shay lays forward his position that monotheism (belief in the existence of one God) is both historically essential and eminently practical for thoughtful people navigating modern-world challenges.
The review copy came to me through Chai Mitzvah, an organization based in West Hartford, Conn., and founded by the book’s author that promotes group-based continuing education to post-secondary teens and adults.
Due to the current public health emergency, UHC has canceled all events, including Shabbat services. We’d like to share some alternative resources here.
Please consult https://reformjudaism.org/attend-shabbat-services-online for a long list of U.S. congregations that share Shabbat services via live-stream.
