A Night of Music at CMI

“The old will become new and the new will become holy.”

הישן יתחדש והחדש יתקדש

As Rav Kook teaches us above, Jewish customs and traditions are ever evolving and we always look to the past in order to create a vision for the future. Reading our Torah portion this week, Tazria-Metzora, I discovered newfound empathy as the Priest determined that when someone is afflicted with an illness they would be isolated from the community in their homes for a minimum of seven days. This ancient text speaks to us thousands of years later as we shut ourselves in our homes to prevent the spread of an illness.

In ancient Israel the afflicted person would not have access to running water, refrigeration, non-perishable processed snack foods, a telephone, Netflix or Zoom. We imagine the community coming together to take care of this person or group of people by delivering food and news. Even though sheltering-in-place because of an illness is a new experience, we still find when our community comes together to help by sewing masks with Chevra hands, reaching out to our members with our Chesed Team, and delivering food to those in need. Each week offers a moment of gratitude and comfort as our community logs on to Zoom and our faces light up as we see our family and friends.

This Saturday night, April 25th, we have a special opportunity to gather and celebrate our sacred community. In place of a traditional Cantor's Concert (which is postponed until November 14th), members of our talented community will uplift us with their voice and instruments. While we wish we could be together in person we are grateful for the ability to come together virtually to find joy and comfort. I hope that you will join us for this free event. Thank you for also considering making a donation to help sustain our community during this challenging time.

May we continue to find holiness in the acts of loving kindness and connections that we make every day. We continue to pray for those afflicted by Covid-19 and please do not hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know is in need of any kind of support.

I wish you all blessings of hope, strength, courage and health,

Rabbi Immerman