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How’s your social life?

Ok, I’ll start. Ours stinks. 

We are a family that used to have people over for dinner almost every Friday night. Kids used to play in our basement and our yard. We went out to dinner with friends. We used to go to other people’s homes and eat and play. At work, I had meetings in person at actual conference tables, where we talked to one another without a Zoom delay. I could see smiles and frowns. I used to give hugs and shake hands. 

Now I watch Netflix and read. And the problem is, there is a lot of good TV out there, and a lot of good books. I can fill my time with distraction and pass the days.

But people need people. Judaism is all about community. Pirkei Avot tells us, Al Tifrosh Min HaTzibur / Don’t separate yourself from the community. Many prayers cannot be completed with a minyan. The eruv is a way of keeping communities close to each other. There are dozens of examples I could give, but the truth is, we know it in our guts. We need each other.

Because of technology - Facebook, Facetime, Zoom, Netflix, Amazon, Instagram, etc. - we are able to survive the isolation of COVID, but can we thrive? 

We can thrive, but it is going to take a little extra effort from all of us. With this in mind, I want to invite everyone to attend Monday night’s PTO meeting where we will be discussing “how might we strengthen our community in a time of COVID?”

I want to acknowledge that maybe your social life is great. Maybe you don’t feel you need the HBHA community to live a full and exciting life during the time of COVID, so you don’t feel this applies to you. But I’d counter by saying that maybe somebody needs YOU. Sometimes we need help, and sometimes we can offer it. That is the nature of community. So please plan to attend.

Your voice, energy and kindness is more important than ever. 

Thank you for being part of our Kehilla Kedosha, our holy community.

Shabbat Shalom,

Adam Tilove
HBHA Head of School