It's always been this way. It's just clearer now than ever.
Center stage of Jewish Life is not the Synagogue. There, I said it. You heard
it from a Rabbi. Now, don't get me wrong. It is important. It is a place where we gather, we pray, where a young thirteen-year-old is called to the Torah for the first time. It's where we connect as a community, it's like a glue that binds us together. But it's not center stage.
Center stage is the Jewish Home. It is in the home where parents teach their children to kiss the Mezuzah on the doorpost evoking fondness; place coins in a charity box fostering kindness; recite the Shema before bedtime affirming faith. It is in the home where the family takes a day out of their week to celebrate Shabbat together. The Jewish kitchen plays a central role in every holiday, in thinking about what we consume and why, and cultivating generosity and hospitality.
The Jewish home is the heartbeat of Judaism. Without which, there's no Bar Mitzvah to celebrate, no Torah to lift high, and no community to bring together.
So while we miss our Shul, let's utilize this opportunity to focus on our at-home Jewishness. Like the 40 plus Shabbos packages that will be gracing tables around Petaluma. If exercise our Jewish at-home muscle, you can be sure that we will rebound from this temporary situation, springing back into exhilarating celebration, synchronized hearts bursting into unified dancing to the tune of a packed Shul.
So join Devorah, her six sisters, and mom next week as they host a cooking show across time zones, and guide us in how to bring some Jewish flavor and color into our home.
