A Message From The Rabbi
Friends,
March marks one year since COVID caused us to physically separate ourselves from one another. One year since we relearned everything about interacting with friends, family, neighbors and strangers. One year since we filled our sacred chapel with song and prayer. Days stretched into weeks which stretched into months. Even as many of us are receiving the vaccine and we see light the horizon, marking a full year of COVID brings a flood of emotions, grief, and sorrow.
For those of you who have lost family and friends to COVID I offer condolences on behalf of our entire congregation. I have always admired Jewish customs around mourning because they gather the community to support those in mourning. Tragically the pandemic forced us to mourn in solitude, with limits on the number of people at funerals and no in-person shivas. For those who became sick and recovered, we pray for a continued r’fuah shleima, may you continue to be healthy. For those of us who continue to weather this storm together, finding comfort wherever we can, we pray that our spirits find comfort and protection.
On the yearly anniversary of someone’s death, a yahrzeit, we recite the mourner’s kaddish, a prayer that speaks not of the challenges we face but rather all of the ways in which we can praise God as we ask God to bring us abundant shalom, wholeness and peace during the most challenging times in our lives. Many of us are grieving as we mark one year with COVID – grieving both what our lives were before March 11, 2020, and everything we missed since then: birthday parties, b’nai mitzvah, meals out, in-person worship, funerals, hugs from friends, and so much more. The kaddish teaches us that through our grief we can try to find reasons to be grateful.
We are grateful because even though we could not connect as we did before, we embraced technology to reach out to our friends and family. We are grateful that on Friday nights we still are able to see and talk our community, grateful that our 80+ students who show up to religious school twice a week continue to build relationships and a positive Jewish identity, grateful to be able to learn together, grateful for the comfort that we still receive from friends during b’nai mitzvah, shiva, weddings, and breakout rooms because we can still feel their presence from miles away. Personally, I’m grateful for to you, our sacred CMI community, for all of the support that I have received and that you have shared with others during this year.
Our CHESED team has called every member of our community several times during the past year, we have delivered groceries and meals, and we have shown that being a part of CMI means never being alone, even when we cannot leave our house. We are and will always be here for you if you need help, please do not hesitate to reach out. Through our gratitude I know that we will find hope. With every does administered we grow one step closer to re-opening our building, our homes, our community, and our world. There is a bright light on the horizon and soon we will be back together. Until then, we will continue to remain physically apart, wear masks, and do all that we can to protect ourselves and others. I look forward to seeing you at our second annual (and hopefully last) second night Passover seder, and to joining together in prayer on our patio when the weather permits.
May there be abundant peace from heaven for all of us here on this earth, and let us say, Amen.
With blessings of comfort, healing, courage and patience,
Rabbi Brian P. Immerman