Rabbi's Update 1/30/26

Dear Friends:

News Flash: it’s cold. Really cold, Really, really cold -- water pipes bursting cold, frost bite-inducing cold. Having said that, some years ago Keleigh and I spent a few days in Saskatoon, Canada, where it is routinely this cold or colder. A number of Saskatooners said to us: “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.”

Last Shabbat we held services on Zoom only. This Shabbat we are going back to our usual hybrid format and the Sanctuary will be open. We recognize that for some of you, coming out in such cold weather may be inadvisable or simply very unpleasant. Please rest assured that there is never any judgment for those who for one reason or another make use of the Zoom option rather than coming in person. If we thought that it was wrong to attend Shabbat services via Zoom, we would not make that option available. If you can’t come in person tomorrow morning, please do come on Zoom instead rather than not at all.

In an online discussion this week I said to some colleagues that there are a lot of things contemporary rabbis are called upon to do which we were never taught in rabbinical school. Just about six years ago we were called upon to become experts in epidemiology and shortly thereafter, in video production and information technology. More recently we have been called upon to be experts in security as well.

One of the things I never learned in rabbinical school is what I call הלכות זום hilchot Zoom, i.e., the “Laws of Zoom.” So this might be a good time for a refresher course on our practices regarding Zoom -- other congregations may do things differently and that is fine since the Conservative Movement is pluralistic and allows a variety of practices.

When congregations first started doing services on Zoom, the normative Conservative position was that a minyan could not be constituted over Zoom. Some months later the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS or “Law Committee”) validated three different positions (remember I said we are a pluralistic movement):

1. A minyan cannot be constituted over Zoom;

2. A minyan can be constituted over Zoom;

3. A minyan can be constituted over Zoom for everything but the Torah service; a Torah service with a Torah scroll, aliyot, etc., requires ten adult Jews physically present in the room where the service is held. This was the position which received the most support in the Law Committee and this is what we follow.

So if we have ten adult Jews physically present in the Sanctuary tomorrow morning we will take out the Torah scroll and have a Torah service. If not, we will read part of the Torah reading and the Haftarah as “Torah study” rather than as a Torah service. As an aside, we allow Torah and Haftarah readers to read over Zoom if they are unable to be physically present.

A couple of other points to remember regarding Zoom services:

1. We count Jews not logins. If you are logged in to the service but your camera is turned off we cannot count you, and if you would be the tenth person do not be surprised if I or whoever is the host or a co-host sends you a message asking you to turn your camera on. Conversely, if there is one login but more than one person is sitting in front of that computer or phone and participating in the service, we count them as two or three or whatever.

2. If you are saying Kaddish at a particular service, please unmute while saying Kaddish. Very briefly, it is believed that merit accrues to the deceased by virtue of a loved one causing others to praise God by reciting the Kaddish. When the congregation hears you say the Kaddish and responds with y’hei shmei rabba mevorach . . ., this is the precise thing which causes merit to accrue to the deceased. If the rest of the congregation cannot hear you recite the Kaddish, they cannot respond and thus your loved one does not receive the merit due them.

If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free and the Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building. 

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian