Today is the commencement of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and a time for both joyous celebration and reflection. As with high holidays in other religions, this year Rosh Hashanah takes on a different character because of COVID 19. Many synagogues have modified their gatherings, including offering a virtual alternative. One feature of the celebration is blowing the ram's horn, or shofar, and the suggestion in some places is that this take place outdoors with safe distancing from those who have assembled.
I really like that some rabbis and religious communities are offering online how to blow courses so that people can sound the shofar at home. Many Jews own shofars as a a decorative piece but never use them. Thousands of people have signed up to toot their own horns.
We have a family member who lives in Israel and noted a couple of days ago that the country is heading into a second shutdown because of the alarming increase of coronavirus cases. This begins today as Rosh Hashanah begins, so the holiday certainly won't be the same this year in the land where it all began.
We are learning to be patient and to adapt, whatever our tradition, but it will be wonderful when some sense of normalcy resumes, won't it?
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